It is What It Is
by DylangraceB
Summary: Elizabeth Benetez and Fitzwilliam Darcy each have their futures planned out and they certainly look bright. Decisions made by each of their father's years ago now stand in the way.
1. Lizzy Gets A Letter

Lizzy was dragging. Mid-terms were approaching and she was in the midst of writing her second to last paper. She had spent all of Friday night and Sunday writing and studying and her only break had been to work at the restaurant on Saturday. Walking up the steps of Pfo-Ho, her home for the last year and a half, Lizzy remembered that she should probably check her mailbox. It had been days since she had last remembered to check it. Not that she ever got anything besides junk mail but you never know. Turning the combination her mailbox sprung open to reveal a single letter. She reached up into the box to pull the envelope down. Why was it that the 5'5" girl got a mailbox on the top row and the 6'3" guy got the mailbox on the bottom? As her papa often joked, if she were in charge, the world would make a lot more sense.

Pulling the letter out of the box, it felt thick. As she looked at the return address Lizzy's mouth went dry: The New York Times. She wondered, did a thick envelope mean the same thing as a college acceptance letter or did it mean they had returned her writing sample redlined and marked up? Staring at the envelope Lizzy picked up her backpack and slung it up on her right shoulder. Slowly climbing up the staircase to the "Attic", the stairs seemed steeper than they had yesterday. Reaching the top, Lizzy turned off to the left towards the triple she shared with her two best friends, Jane and Charlotte. She shrugged off her coat, placed it on a hook, and set her backpack on the floor. Lizzy stepped into the bedroom and kicked off her shoes before hopping on her bed. She took another look at the envelope, took a deep breath and carefully peeled open the back. Sliding a packet of papers out of the envelope she carefully unfolded them and began to read. The first paragraph began by thanking her for applying and submitting her materials. An ache in her stomach began to develop. As her eyes continued to scan the page she saw, buried in the second line of the second paragraph, 'We hope you will accept our offer to join us at the New York Times for a 10-week internship this coming Summer.' Lizzy stared at the page and quickly re-read the words. Way to bury the lead, she mused. And then, it sank in. She had done it. She was really going to spend the summer working at the New York Times. It had been her dream for so long. She let out a shriek of pure joy and jumped up on her bed. This was how Jane found her: jumping up and down on her bed, fists punching the air.

Hearing the shrieks from the hall, Jane burst into the room. She stopped in her tracks seeing her best friend either ecstatic or pissed. With Lizzy it could be either. "Lizzy? Are you ok?"

Lizzy jumped off her bed and hugged Jane. Releasing her, Lizzy started dancing around the room singing, "I'm going to New York," over and over again. She took the letter she had received and thrust it in Jane's hands as she collapsed on her bed.

Scanning the letter quickly, Jane looked up and squealed "Oh my God! Lizzy! Congrats." Beaming from ear to ear at her friend, Jane said, "Charlotte and I are totally taking you out for dinner tonight to celebrate. And don't give us a hard time about it."

"Charlotte doesn't even know yet. You're the first person I've told!" Lizzy said laughing at her dearest friend.

"Oh Lizzy, we've known all along that you'd get this internship. Charlotte and I have been planning this ever since your interview. Come on, get out of your sweats, and put on that cute new skirt you bought last week. We're heading out to Fire and Ice to celebrate."

Smiling from ear to ear Lizzy scooted off her bed to start getting ready for a night out with her friends. Ordinarily Lizzy would argue if her friends tried to treat her but tonight was an exception. She knew she would do the same in return if they had gotten their dream internship. Lizzy and her roomies had come a long way since freshman year. Since then, Lizzy had learned that her friends didn't care that she was a scholarship kid. Lizzy wanted to keep it that way and as a result she always paid her own way. She didn't ever want to feel she owed her friends. Working most Saturday nights helped because they might go out both nights - something she could not afford - and she wasn't left behind. She simply wasn't available. Jane and Charlotte were always sensitive to keep their expensive nights out to Saturdays too. Lizzy knew they had avoided certain restaurants downtown and going to the movies with her after a few incidents in their freshman year. (Who could afford $20 bucks just to see a movie with popcorn and a soda?!) Lizzy, Charlotte and Jane had had a heart-to-heart freshman year after Lizzy had started to pull away from them. Their differences in incomes and backgrounds had made Lizzy very defensive in their early days as friends. She had actually almost left school because she felt so out of place but her friends wouldn't let her hide away. They had pestered her until she told them her concerns. Ever since, they had helped her navigate some of the country club culture that could be overwhelming for a girl like her. Harvard was a pretty diverse place but there were still plenty of rich kids throwing their money around to make a girl like her feel like a fish out of water. But tonight was different. She'd gladly let her friends treat.

She was trying to get her curly locks into some attractive arrangement when Charlotte came barreling into the room, "Lizzy! Congrats you awesome chica!" she yelled while launching herself onto her friend in a full bear hug. "Jane texted me and I couldn't get back here fast enough. Professor James would not shut up! He just kept droning on and on and all I wanted to do was come back here and start celebrating with you."

Bubbling over with laughter Lizzy hugged her friend back, "Thank you so much Charlotte. Now that you're here the party can start! I'm almost ready. Start getting ready so the celebration can get going."

Jane and Lizzy had been described by their friends as sugar and spice. Jane was pure golden beauty and sweetness. Lizzy had a bit of a temper and her sharp wit could keep the most condescending or rude person chasing their tail in a conversation with her. That and her Latin looks made her a complete contrast to Jane. Charlotte was generally the one in the background; taking it all in with acute observations. Her ability to sit back and analyze a situation, without letting her emotions get in the way, had served her friends well as they navigated their way through Harvard. The three of them together had become even closer over the past two-and-a-half years, each helping the other to soften their extremes: occasionally dampening Jane's positive outlook on everyone and everything that happened, sometimes softening Lizzy's acerbic wit and tendency to judge everything and everyone around her, and pushing Charlotte into the spotlight so that others could appreciate her native intelligence and astute observations. The three of them made an excellent team: softening, encouraging and providing a reality check where necessary.

With the music pumping through their triple in Pforzheimer house, the three girls finished preparing for their night out and an hour later they were ready to head into the square. Fire and Ice was the perfect place for them because they could each tailor their tastes to the food. It was also close to Burdick's where they could get a very decadent hot chocolate reminiscent of the hot chocolate Lizzy's mama made using an old family recipe from Oaxaca.


	2. Darcy Gets A Call

Clearly, technology is not my strong suit and I have been battling to post this correctly for the past 30 minutes! Hopefully I got it right this time :)

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It had been a very long day. Thank God he had been responsible for the immigration case at study group today. It was pure dumb luck that on the day he had been cold called to open the case he had been the one to present it to his study group. He thought he had done a reasonably good job articulating the main issues of the case but Professor Gilpin was a tough one and he wasn't sure what he thought. One final year of school and he could get on with his life - not that life was any easier.

The past four years had been tough. He had been so glad to finish undergrad and take some time to explore the world. That was the last gift his father had given to him - one year to travel before starting grad school. He had been in Jordan exploring Petra when he had gotten the call that his father had been taken to the hospital following a massive seizure. 24 hours later and Will was sitting beside George Darcy in the Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering. He could still clearly remember the crisp white sheets, and the smell of ammonia that permeated every element of the forty-eight hours he spent sitting in the hospital room praying his father would awaken. But the doctors had told him it was hopeless. His father had apparently been battling a glioblastoma for the past four months – without a word about it to his son. The tumor was apparently the worst kind of brain tumor, very aggressive, and there was no cure. It had not responded to treatment and now, he was too late. He was always too late. There were no final words of wisdom or guidance from his father. Two days later George Darcy passed away. At least he had been there for the end.

Fitzwilliam Darcy knew his responsibilities - his father had always made his expectations very clear. Will hadn't needed the legal documents to spell out the next steps. The rest of the trip cancelled, he spent the next seven months dealing with lawyers, boards and relatives, sorting out his father's affairs wasn't easy and he had wished he had already completed his JD-MBA when he was dealing with it all. His uncle and cousins had been incredibly helpful and his aunt Sophia was essential to making sure his baby sister had some manner of support. Issues still arose from time to time but his father's will demanded that he complete his JD-MBA before he took over the company and now he was so close to fulfilling that final condition for him to inherit. It really wasn't an option to not complete the degree. Simply, the will said it must be done and thus, it must be done.

He needed to get back to his apartment. His phone had completely died and he never felt comfortable when he couldn't check in or when people couldn't reach him. The last time that had happened well, it wasn't good to let his thoughts drift back to that time. Placing his phone on the charging doc he grabbed a Guinness and started to flip through his mail. His phone buzzed back to life and sure enough, seven messages. His phone had been dead for 3 hours and already he was behind.

"Hey William, its me, Georgie. I, um, um, I got a, a call from Aunt Catherine about Thanksgiving. She was, um, rather insistent and I am hoping that we could talk about the um, the holidays. I am not sure I am up for Thanksgiving at her house. Can you call me? Love you."

William shook his head as he listened to the meek little voice coming out of his phone. Would his sister ever return to the vibrant, happy girl she had been. So much had happened in her young life and she was a shadow of the girl she had been. He felt helpless when it came to Georgie.

"Darce, it's Charlie. Hey, my sister Caroline has it in her head that she is coming to your house tonight for dinner. Don't worry, I told her we would meet her at a restaurant. I'll swing by at 7 to grab you."

"Darcy, its your favorite cousin Richard. Not sure if you have heard from dad or Aunt Cathy but I want to prepare you. It's not good. Call me."

"Fitzwilliam, I have checked your school calendar and see that classes end on the 21st. I expect to see you and Georgiana at my home no later than the 22nd. We have much to discuss." Of course, his Aunt Catherine didn't seem to need to give her name. It was simply expected that everyone knew who she was.

"Darcy, Rich again, seriously call me."

"Hi William, It's your Uncle Henry. It seems as though something has arisen and we need to chat. I will be coming in from DC to speak with you prior to the holidays. I will be at home Saturday evening and your Aunt Sophia and I will see you for dinner at 7."

And the final message from Richard, "Darce, did you lose your phone? You NEED to call me."

Maybe instead of beer he should have grabbed something stronger. Richard was generally persistent but this was a bit extreme - even for him. So he decided to call him first.

"Hey Rich, is everything ok? What's up?"

"Finally, the man returns my phone calls! I am trying to look out for you and you don't bother to pick up the phone." Rich admonished.

"My apologies. What is going on? My phone was off for three hours and I had 7 messages."

"Have you spoken to Aunt Cathy or my dad? I heard dad arguing with her earlier today. She has something up her sleeve for Thanksgiving about you and it didn't sound good."

"Your dad has invited me to dinner at his house Saturday night. He said he was flying in from DC to meet with me so I can only imagine that it is something big. Do you have any idea what this is about?"

"I think it has to do with your dad's will. Something about a codicil that comes into effect on your birthday. That's coming up right?" Richard asked.

"A codicil? I don't remember anything from the reading of the will about another clause." Will slumped into his desk chair and started thumbing through his files. He had a copy of his dad's will but thankfully hadn't looked at it in almost three years. He wasn't sure what Rich was so worked up about but he was bound and determined to re-read the will before dinner with his aunt and uncle on Saturday.

"Hey Will, do you want me to try and get leave to come in on Saturday?" Richard offered.

"Thanks Rich, I really appreciate it, but no. I can handle it. I'll call you after I talk with your folks." Will answered.

"Ok, just know that I am here for you." Rich responded.

"I know you are." Will responded quietly, wondering when he could be the one supporting his cousin. "Look, I should go. I'll call you on Sunday. Have a good week."

"Alright, talk to you then." Rich couldn't believe there was another thing thrown on Will's shoulders and wondered when he would crack. He would be there when it happened, because the reality is, there is only so much one man can take.

Will decided to jump into a shower and wash away some of the day. He couldn't worry about this new condition until Saturday and was determined to put it out of his mind until then. Besides, he needed to prepare himself for dinner with Charles and Caroline. He remembered at some point agreeing to dinner while Caroline was renovating her apartment. He guessed this was the night. Stepping out of the shower he walked towards his closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a white button down shirt. He slipped a grey cashmere sweater over his shirt just as the buzzer rang.

"Yes."

"Hey Will. Its Charlie, can I come up?"

"I'll buzz you in." Will answered. Slipping on socks and the UGG's his sister had given him last Christmas. Charlie let himself in.

"So I am glad you got my message." Charlie said as he entered the condo. "I was a little worried when I didn't hear back and you know how difficult Caroline can be when she isn't satisfied. By the way, she had in her mind that you invited her here but I told her that Mrs. Reynolds was away and so we needed to meet at a restaurant. I figured that would be your preference."

"Thanks Charlie. You know that is my preference. Where are we going by the way? I assume I am buying since I had somehow agreed to have her for dinner. " William answered as he finished tying up his boots.

"I heard some guys talking about this restaurant called Fire & Ice in the Square. I thought we might go there since the weather is gross and apparently you can pick out every ingredient yourself. Given how picky Caroline is, I thought it might be easy." Charles suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Let's head out." Will grabbed his coat, wallet and fully-charged phone and they headed out the door.


	3. Fire & Ice

Greetings all! This is my very first fan fiction although I have read a ton of it. This story is definitely a work in process although I have already written 30,000 words so hopefully I will be able to post with some regularity. As I am a first timer, please review, give feedback, etc. I will post a few chapters up front so you have a sense of where the story is going. I don't have a beta and would welcome on. Thanks :)

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The girls entered the restaurant, set their things down at a table and got in line to order their unique combination of noodles, veggies, sauces, and tofu or chicken. It didn't take long for Jane to be pulled into a conversation with the attractive red head in line behind them. Charlotte and Lizzy were used to the male attention Jane frequently received and lost themselves in their own conversation. Jane, ever the hostess, decided to introduce her new friend, Charlie, to the girls.

"Charlie, let me introduce you to my friends and roommates Lizzy and Charlotte. We are out celebrating with LIzzy. She got some great news today." Jane said.

"What's the news? I would love to add my congratulations." Charlie responded quickly not wanting the conversation with this angel to end.

"Of course! Lizzy just heard today that she has been awarded a paid internship at the New York Times for the summer. We are so very proud." Jane added, her smile beaming with pride for her friend.

"Oh, they just want to make sure that when I am a reporter I write nice things about them in the paper." Lizzy joked with her friends. "That's why they are buying me dinner too." Lizzy added with a wink.

"Congratulations Lizzy. It is great to meet you. You must be quite a writer to get such an internship." Charles added. "Charlotte it is nice to meet you as well. We are waiting on my sister, who is a senior at Wellesley College. She is always running late and well, my friend Darcy and I were too hungry to wait any longer so we got in line. Oh, excuse me, let me introduce Darcy. He is such a big tall fellow, you wouldn't think that I would forget him but he is so quiet that sometimes I do." Charles joked.

Darcy smirked but then, extended his hand forward and did the honors himself. "Congratulations on your internship. The New York Times, that is quite impressive." Darcy said, looking intently at Lizzy. He then turned to Jane and Charlotte. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well. As you have now witnessed, Charles has the ability to strike up a conversation with just about anyone and I didn't want to interrupt. I knew eventually he would remember that I was here with him and would do the honors," Darcy added.

"Yes, clearly you needed your friend to make the introductions. I am sure someone as tall as you, with your presence, is in need of a shorter companion to help you along." Lizzy teased.

Darcy was taken aback and let out a burst of laughter. He had just met this woman and she was already giving him a hard time.

"So, what brought you out here to this fine establishment on a dreary night like tonight?" Charlotte piped in.

"Honestly? My sister is having her kitchen renovated at her apartment in Wellesley, not that she ever cooks. She invited herself over for dinner at Darcy's but we, um, thought it would be better to meet her out at a restaurant. She has very specific tastes and so we figured this would be the best place because then she could pick exactly what she wanted to eat," Charles responded.

"Well, that is why we like this place too," Jane soothed. "Everyone has their own tastes and this place accommodates all kinds of preferences. It is perfect in that way."

They were moving quickly through the line and they had shifted places so that Jane and Charles were next to one another. For the first time in a very long time, William Darcy found himself next to a woman that he wanted to keep talking to. What was that about?

"So uhm, did you always know you wanted to work for a newspaper?" Darcy asked Lizzy.

Lizzy smiled. This man next to her seemed almost a little shy and she had really liked his cute dimples when he had laughed earlier. She smiled to herself when she considered how awkward he seemed yet really genuinely interested. With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she decided to answer with a sincere answer rather than simply being flip – her standard when she sensed people weren't really interested. "I guess so. My papa would always leave the newspaper on the kitchen table in the morning and I would read it while I was walking to school. In the evenings, when I was done with my homework I would hang out in the kitchen of our restaurant and we would discuss the articles we found the most interesting while he was cooking. It was always a little chaotic in the kitchen but I guess it was a way to spend time with him each day. A newspaper attempts to capture the most important bits of what is happening in the world every single day. My family never travelled anywhere and yet my papa and I learned so much about the world through the newspaper. So, ever since I was a little girl I wanted to write for a major newspaper so I could have some impact on shaping people's understanding of the world, even if they couldn't get on an airplane or talk to world leaders themselves." Lizzy shared. "Like today, there were stories about the continued upheaval in the government in Thailand, new requirements to videotape interrogations by the Justice Department to improve integrity of investigations and protect suspects and witnesses and a lovely write up of 36 hours in a village in Uruguay."

William just stared at her. How old could she be, 20 or 21? Most girls at that age were in college because they were supposed to be there. Many, or at least the vast majority he had met, were completely absorbed in themselves, and had little understanding of the world around them. And if they did, it was about some random issue that all of their friends were focused on. Few had such passion to know about the world around them and few had such specific goals and had seen them through to get such an impressive internship. Even at Harvard, there were lots of girls who knew a lot more about shoe and handbag brands then what was on the cover of the New York Times. Darcy was about to ask her another question, when he felt someone tugging at his arm. Caroline. She had made it after all.

"William! I am finally here. The weather is dreadful and it took me forever to find a place to leave my car. Why did we come here? Charles, you should have picked a restaurant with valet parking, at least. And, who wants to eat in a basement? What were you possibly thinking? Come on, let's leave and eat somewhere respectable. William, I am sure you agree with me." Caroline said in a huff.

William looked over to Lizzy and saw her smirking. Was she laughing? He tried to disentangle himself from Caroline, looking over to Charlie to see if he could help distract Caroline but no such luck. Charlie was lost to his new angel Jane. He sighed. He had no desire to leave the restaurant. He was perfectly happy here getting to know this bright and beautiful girl filled with passion about the world around her.

Ignoring Caroline's pleas to leave he took another tack, "Hi Caroline, allow me to introduce you to Lizzy, Charlotte and Jane. They are here to celebrate Lizzy's summer internship at the New York Times."

"Nice to meet you," Caroline said quickly looking them over. She took in Lizzy's outfit, probably from Target or H&M she surmised. Nope, no threat there. The other girl, Charlotte, was certainly dressed better but was so plain that she was certainly no threat and her brother seemed totally into the blonde one. Darcy wasn't really into blondes anyway she assured herself.

They continued to move through the line and Lizzy and Charlotte began making their selections speculating between themselves that they had lost Jane for the evening. Lizzy looked over to see how William Darcy was doing keeping himself disentangled from Charles' sister. She was trying to figure out if they were dating. It seemed like Caroline certainly was into him but he wasn't reciprocating. Lizzy could hear the continuing tirade from Caroline about the food, the service, the décor: it never seemed to end. She started to laugh when she heard some of the restaurant staff going off on Caroline in Spanish. She joined into the conversation sympathizing with the staff in her parent's native tongue. Growing up working in a Mexican family restaurant, if there was anything she could relate to, it was rude American customers.

When she started speaking in rapid fire Spanish, Darcy and Charles both looked up. The laughs Lizzy got from staff seemed to break some of the tension that was building from Caroline's rude tirade. While she didn't speak the language, Caroline was sure they were making fun of her. "What is it you are saying? You know it is rude to speak in another language. We are in America. You should learn to speak the language, stupid immigrants." Caroline huffed.

Charles turned bright red and Darcy looked at his feet. They were clearly mortified. Well, so much for breaking the tension. Lizzy actually felt sorry for both men. She felt a little bad about making fun of Caroline, but not really. Lizzy looked over to the staff she had been chatting with, rolled her eyes, and plastered a bright smile on her face as she looked over to their line companions. "Oh Caroline, I am sorry. You are right, that was terribly rude. The men had noted your hair, voice and manners and I was merely complimenting them on their good taste. I am sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable." Lizzy didn't tell the exact truth but the statements bore enough relation to elements of conversation she rationalized.

"Oh, of course, why thank you," Caroline preened.

The tension largely broken, Jane looked over to Lizzy with a silent plea in her eyes. She wanted to have them all sit together. Oh well, she wasn't paying, and she was intrigued by the quiet, blue eyed man next to her in line. As long as this Caroline person didn't dominate the conversation she could enjoy her meal with their new companions just fine. At any rate, she and Charlotte knew how to entertain themselves with absurd characters and Caroline presented a prime example. It could be fun, Lizzy reasoned. She smiled back to Jane assuring her it was fine to extend the invitation.

"You know, given this is a celebration, a party of six would be more fun than a party of three. Would you like to sit all together?" Jane asked.

This was exactly what Charles was hoping for. He was simply trying to figure out how to ask. "Oh that would be perfect! Right Will?" Charles enthused.

William would do just about anything to dilute the presence of Caroline and the ability to spend dinner with the adorable woman with the bright eyes sounded perfect to him. "Sounds great. We would love to celebrate with all of you." Darcy added. "I'll go over and speak with the host."

Given it was a Monday night, the restaurant was fairly empty so they readily accommodated the change in tables. Jane and Charles sat next to one another in the corner, seemingly oblivious to the others in the room. Lizzy decided to take pity on William who seemed to be challenged to untangle himself from Caroline's hold. Was she an octopus? She seemed to always have an arm on him and he did not look happy. So, she took the middle seat opposite Jane forcing Caroline to choose a seat that could not be next to Darcy.

Walking up to the table, Caroline remarked, "Oh Libby dear, please move over so Will and I can sit next to one another."

"It's Lizzy." She responded.

"Oh yes, of course, well, can you move over?" Caroline said again.

"Well, actually, since we are celebrating my new internship, I thought it would make sense for me to sit in the middle. That way I can easily talk to my old and new friends." Lizzy said sweetly, a grin plastered on her face. She looked over to Will and winked.

Will thought this was a brilliant plan and allowed a small grin to cross his face.

Charlotte slid into a seat next to Lizzy on one side and William quickly took the other. It wasn't a perfect seating arrangement. Caroline was still across from him but it was better than many other options so William was not going to complain. "Thank you," he murmured.

Taking in the grin, he really does have nice dimples, she thought.

Once settled, their meals were brought over to them. Everyone at the table seemed happy with them. Even Caroline's complaints were at a minimum.

"So Lizzy, Caroline and I are from New York. If you need help finding a place to live this summer let us know. We can certainly help you." Charlie offered.

"Oh definitely, there are many places you will need to avoid and Charles and I know the right neighborhoods." Caroline added.

"Thanks but actually, the internship comes with housing at the NYU dorms for the summer." Lizzy answered. "I am really excited to explore New York. I have never been and I can't wait to hop on the subway and walk the various neighborhoods."

Caroline was incredulous. "You have never been to New York?"

"Nope. Actually, I have never really been outside of Boston, except for track meets around New England that I attended in high school. My family owns a restaurant and it is a seven-day-a-week operation so we never really travelled. Besides my papa has a very strong aversion to travel so we tend to stay close to home. But I have a travel bug and I can't wait to explore." Lizzy answered.

The table got quiet and Lizzy realized that this was once again a place where she differed from everyone at Harvard. She knew nothing of the world outside aside from what she had read in newspapers and books. It wasn't her fault and yet every time things like this arose, she simply felt inferior. Like she would never measure up.

"You have accomplished a lot for someone who has experienced so little." William Darcy said.

Lizzy wasn't sure what to make of that statement. Was she supposed to be honored or defensive? Fortunately, Jane stepped in, as she always did to smooth things over.

"By the time Lizzy is 25 she will have likely circled the globe more times than the rest of us. She is the most inquisitive of the lot of us and I know she will bring a well informed and well researched perspective to everything she writes." Jane enthused. "I was starting to think of dessert and we had promised Lizzy that we would go to Burdick's. Do you want to join us?"

Before Caroline could put in a word about the poor weather or whatever excuse she might use, Charlie jumped in, "We would love to come. I love Burdick's!"

The check arrived and Caroline handed it to Will who immediately placed his Amex inside the folder returning it to the waiter. Jane and Charlotte started to protest but both Charles and Caroline insisted that William always paid. They reached a compromise when William agreed that Jane and Charlotte could pay for dessert at Burdick's and Lizzy promised to order a large spicy hot chocolate if William got one too.

Trudging through the dreary night they walked into a brightly lit chocolate shop and ordered up their favorite drinks. Jane and Charlie exchanged contact details and they all bid a good night to one another after they had all eaten their fill of chocolate.


	4. Rain, Rain, Rain

Thanks to everyone who has started following my first story and for the review. I love them! Thank you. This is a light little chapter to continue adding a little background to the story. Two heavy chapters are coming up. Thanks so much for reading! It means so much :)

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The rain continued over the next couple of days adding to the dreariness of midterms. Jane and Charlie met up every day for lunch on campus and after two days Jane was studying in the evenings at Charlie's place. Caroline was staying there too during the demolition portion of her kitchen project so they were never truly alone. By Friday, Jane had picked up a major cold.

"Hey Lizzy, it's Jane. I am feeling really lousy. I think I am just going to stay here at Charlie's. Let Charlotte know too ok? And don't worry about me. I am sure he and Caroline will take good care of me. Love you."

Lizzy listened to the voice mail on her phone. Between the sneezes, Jane's voice sounded raspy and she could hear her asthma kicking in. Lizzy called back and after speaking with Jane, and then Charles, decided that neither Charles or Caroline were equipped to take care of a sick Jane. "Jane, can you put Charlie back on the phone?"

"Oh, sure."

"Hey Charlie, it's Lizzy. Can you give me your address? I want to bring some of Jane's things by if she is going to stay there."

Checking the address on her phone she realized it was only about three miles away and pretty close to the Whole Foods in Cambridgeport. Perfect, Lizzy thought. Placing a change of clothes for Jane and various items she thought she might need into her backpack, Lizzy hopped onto her bike. I doubt that Charlie has any healthy food over at his place, she thought to herself. On her way to Charlie's, she stopped by the store to pick up ingredients for chicken soup and a few other dinner items. Fortunately, Charlie's place was close by so she could manage the groceries in her basket and Jane's clothes on her back.

Lizzy rode up to the building and rang Charlie's bell. She was surprised when William Darcy opened the door. He looked just as surprised to see a rain-drenched Lizzy.

"Hi. I heard that Jane was here and I thought I would make her some soup. It is really the only thing that helps her when she is sick." Lizzy stated.

Darcy looked around for Lizzy's car and noticed a bike leaning against the side of the building. "Did you ride over here on your bike in the rain?" He asked startled.

"Yup. Great transportation for a college kid. I am getting a little wet though. Can I come in?" She asked, hoping he would let her pass by before the grocery bags became too waterlogged.

"Oh, of course. Let me help you with your groceries." William said. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked a little flushed, likely from the bike ride over and it made her eyes truly sparkle.

"Thanks. But I think I can get it. I just hope that Charles has a soup pot. I hadn't thought about that bit until I was almost here." Lizzy laughed.

He really liked when she laughed. Where did that thought come from? Why was he thinking this way? This was some poor scholarship kid who had never been outside of Boston. Well, his parents had taught him to be a gentleman and so the least he could do was help her with her groceries.

After carrying everything in, William started to walk away and then, figured he should say something. "Um, I'll go grab you a towel and will let Jane and Charlie know that you are here. I am sure Charlie can come in to help orient you." With this he walked away and didn't look back.

Lizzy looked around at the kitchen William had led her into. It was something straight out of one of those fancy renovation magazines she always saw at the grocery store checkout counters. Sleek and smooth, she admired the marble counter tops and stainless steel workplace in the middle of the room. Opening up the cabinets she was amazed by the variety of appliances and cooking supplies. Nope, she needn't have worried about the pot. Charlie entered the kitchen with a towel in one hand only to find that Lizzy had pulled out all manner of pots, cutting boards and cooking utensils. Things he had never seen used in his kitchen before.

"Charlie, you have a remarkably well supplied kitchen for a grad student." Lizzy stated.

Charlie laughed, "You will have to thank my mother for that because I have never seen most of the things you have out on the counters. You are welcome to anything you can find."

"I intend to use everything at my disposal, so thank you. The soup should be ready in about two hours. The longer it cooks the better however. I also figured I would also make some chicken and rice while I am at it so that there will be food for you all in the coming days. Once that is cooking I will make salad. Hopefully when Jane is feeling better she will feel up to some more food. Can I see her?" Lizzy asked.

"Oh, of course. I am sure she would love to see you. Thank you for coming to help her. I am sure it will speed her recovery – not that I am anxious for her to leave but I hate to see her ill." Charlie quickly added.

Lizzy smiled to herself. Yes, he was smitten and she was happy. She liked Charlie and was glad that Jane had found someone so kind. After using the towel to squeeze the water out of her hair Lizzy let Charlie lead her towards Jane. As she walked into the living room, William looked up. His eyes followed her back towards the bedroom. There was something about her that was intriguing and yet he felt that it was best to stay away. He had been thinking about her fairly constantly since that dinner last week. They couldn't be more different though. That must be it. She was just different.

The rest of the apartment matched the kitchen. Lizzy had never thought that people actually lived in places like this. "Charlie, you have a beautiful place."

"Oh, thanks. My mom and sister would get the credit for that." Charlie responded.

After she checked on Jane, Lizzy headed back towards the kitchen to start her soup. She put some olive oil in the bottom the pan and added in the chicken frames, onions and garlic to brown a little in the pot. Once that was going, she started chopping up some carrots, celery and pulled together some herbs into a bag to simmer in the pot of water.

"Oh, hello Libby." Caroline said as she entered the kitchen. "Why you look positively drenched. Did you get caught in a downpour on your way to the building?"

"Hello Caroline. I did get a little wet on the way here but I figured a little water never hurt anyone. I am sure I will dry off soon enough. And, it's Lizzy, by the way." She reminded her again. She kept on working away on the meal. Nothing would be gained by continuing to talk to Caroline and she really did not have the energy to deal with her. She was here to make some soup for Jane, a little dinner to tide them over, and then she would head back to her dorm.

Caroline walked out of the kitchen and over to Darcy. "Did you see what the storm dragged in? That Libby girl looks positively like a drenched rat. She probably walked here through the muck and rain. Who does she think she is taking over Charlie's kitchen like that and making a mess?"

"Actually she rode her bike here. I think it is rather sweet that she came over here to take care of her best friend." Charlie added as he walked in the room.

"Surely William, you would not allow Georgiana to be traipsing around in the rain, on a bike no less, simply because a friend caught a little cold." Caroline said.

"Um, no." Darcy said quickly and then returned to the case he was reading.

"Well, I think that the smells coming from the kitchen are amazing. I can't wait to taste that soup and the other things Lizzy is concocting. She's certainly talented." Charlie responded.

Caroline snorted. "I guess, if you consider riding a bike in the rain and cooking great talents, then one might be consider talented but if that is the case, than our maid Cecilia is equally talented."

"When your maid gets accepted to Harvard and gets an internship at the New York Times, let me know." Darcy stated effectively ending the conversation.

Darcy wasn't really sure why Caroline had made him so angry. She was always putting people down and he had never really paid attention. It's not like he really knew or cared about what Caroline thought about some random girl in Charlie's kitchen. Today however, Caroline's comments were really getting under his skin.

After she got the chicken and rice in the oven, she checked on the soup, added some salt and pepper and started chopping vegetables for the salad. Once everything was pulled together, Lizzy decided to head into the living room to say hello and see what everyone was up to. She entered the room to see Darcy reading a law school case and Caroline flipping through the latest copy of People of magazine. "Hey there. Do you know where Charlie is? Is he with Jane?"

Looking up from the latest article on the Khardashian's Caroline once again gave Lizzy a once over before answering, "I believe my brother went to check on Jane. You know where to go right?"

"Yes, I do. I'll go up then to give them an update on how the food is coming along." Lizzy said as she exited the room.

As she walked up the stairs she saw the door ajar to Charlie's room. Jane appeared asleep and Charlie was reading in a chair next to the bed. Whispering, Lizzy tried to get Charlie's attention. He looked up and headed towards the bedroom door.

"Hey Charlie. The soup is cooking, the salad is made and the chicken is in the oven. I was just going to head back to my dorm but wanted to leave you a few instructions about the food before I left." She whispered.

Closing the door, Charlie started walking with Lizzy back towards the living room. "You can't come here and cook all this food and then leave. Please stay. I know that it would make Jane feel so much better to have you here and I would really like you to stay too." Entering the living room Charlie added, "Caro, Will, tell Lizzy she has to stay. I know you'd like her to stay for dinner too."

"Well, I think it is her call and yours. I'm merely a guest here." William stated.

Caroline looked up and saw the expectant look in her brother's eyes. Yes, it would probably be very rude not to encourage her to stay. Ever the hostess, Caroline quickly added, "Of course, Libby dear you must stay. We wouldn't hear of you leaving now."

Lizzy tried not to roll her eyes, but decided she might as well stay and check on Jane after she woke up. She wanted to make sure she ate at any rate. "Thank you Charles and Caroline for inviting me to stay. I'll stay through dinner but then should head back to campus right after. I need to work tomorrow and will have to be up early. I guess might as well make sure that dinner is palatable rather than leaving you here to sample my cooking."

With that determined, Lizzy settled on in a chair and grabbed a book from her backpack. William and Charles were reading their cases and Caroline continued to flip through her magazine, periodically sending texts. At least Will was trying to read his case. His eyes kept drifting over to the girl curled up on the leather slingback chair. He couldn't seem to help himself from watching the way her full ruby lips moved as she read to herself. I wonder what it would feel like to have those lips on mine, he thought. The timer went off and Lizzy placed her book on the floor next to the chair. William quickly looked down at his case pretending he was engrossed in the details. As she moved toward the kitchen door William looked up, "Do you need help with anything?"

"Well it would be great if someone set the table and maybe someone could wake up Jane. Dinner should be ready shortly." Lizzy said as she headed into the kitchen.

Darcy followed her into the kitchen while Charlie went to wake up Jane. Caroline, figuring she probably needed to do something, decided she was best served to help William so she was quickly on her feet. "Oh William dear, let me help you. I am sure you can get the wine and drinks and I will help Libby dear with putting the food out."

"Caroline, I think Lizzy has reminded you several times of her name. You might take care to remember it." William chided. "Lizzy, do you think white is the best for this?"

"Sure, although I will have water with my meal so please don't pour a glass for me." Lizzy added.

"Lizzy dear, this is William's wine. You must have a glass. D'Arcy wine is the finest and I never turn down a glass." Caroline informed her.

Lizzy pulled out the chicken and rice, tasted the soup, and uncovered the salad. She directed Caroline to bring out the dishes and silverware while she ladled out the soup. Fairly soon they were seated around the table. Caroline placed William between her and Charles. Jane was seated on Charlie's other side and Lizzy was placed next to Jane. Lizzy was glad to see Jane eating and didn't seem to mind that Caroline dominated all conversation with William talking endlessly about the various decisions she had to make on her kitchen renovation. Once dinner ended, Lizzy made quick work of packing up the leftovers and wrote out the instructions to reheat the leftover food. Charles and Jane showered Lizzy with compliments as she packed up. Even William, who seemed remarkably quiet throughout dinner, managed to mention a few nice words about the food.

After the kitchen was cleaned up, Lizzy found Jane resting on the couch. She went over and gave Jane a hug, "Now don't do anything I wouldn't do." She teased.

Jane laughed a little before starting to cough. " I can guarantee that nothing will happen. Thank you so much for taking care of me. You and your soup are a lifesaver. I feel better already."

"Just call me Dr. Benetez, at your service." She gave her friend another quick hug and headed towards the door. Lizzy was about to place her bike helmet back on her head when she noticed William standing beside her. "Oh, hi. I was just heading out. It was nice to see you again. I hope you have a nice weekend." Lizzy offered.

"I am heading back to my apartment, can I give you a ride?" William asked.

"Well, I have my bike here so I need to ride back but thanks." She responded, quickly turning toward the door. "Bye everyone. Jane I will talk to you on Sunday." Lizzy called out.

"Let me take you home, I insist. I can pop your bike on the back of my car. I have my bike rack on it so it will only take a minute." Darcy urged.

"Alright, if you insist." Lizzy agreed. She really would rather avoid a second ride in the rain, especially now that it was dark. Ten minutes later, she found herself in the passenger seat of Darcy's Lincoln Navigator. He was remarkably quiet and she felt like she needed to make some conversation.

At a loss of what to talk about, Lizzy started to talk about the car they were in. "So, this is a rather large car for Boston. Do you have trouble finding parking?" What an awkward thing to say, she chastised herself.

"Oh, yes it is. I don't normally keep this car here. I was up at my family home in Maine last weekend and needed to bring some things down so I needed the space. I usually leave it up there." William commented and then was once again silent.

Lizzy couldn't figure this guy out. She understood being shy but this was bordering on rude. What is up with this him? Meanwhile, William was trying desperately to concentrate on the road, the swishing of the windshield wipers, really anything except the beautiful young woman sitting next to him, her hair curling around her face, and her sparkling brown eyes looking over to him every few minutes. It was only a few more minutes until she was out of his car and he could return to thinking about the meeting with his uncle tomorrow night.


	5. Lizzy Goes Home

Here is the big reveal for Lizzy...

* * *

It was 9 am on a grey, wet and windy late fall morning. September and October were beautiful in Cambridge but November? Not so much. The corridors of her house were quiet. Of course, in general, college houses on a Saturday morning were not well known for their early risers. She breezed through the dining room, picking up a banana and a carton of OJ before heading over to the T. She popped them into her backpack, pulled out her rain gear, headphones, and t pass and headed over to the red line.

The T station was empty. At least I'll be able to get a seat this morning, Lizzy thought. Setting up her iPod, Lizzy zoned out to the sounds of Radiohead and started to think about the conversation she needed to have with her papa this afternoon. She wanted him to be excited and happy for her. It had been her dream to work for the New York Times and now she actually had an internship with them. Why wouldn't he be happy for her?

Her papa had always been resistant to Lizzy leaving Boston for any reason. Her junior year of high school her class went to Washington DC but her papa refused to let her go. Then, her senior year, the Spanish club planned a trip to Mexico and again he refused her. Her parents were from Mexico, so she thought they would be excited for her to go to their homeland and yet, he was adamantly opposed. In fact, they never went anywhere. Never travelled anywhere outside of Massachusetts. Summer days on Revere Beach was as far afield as they might go. Well she was growing up and he was going to have to get used to the fact that she might be further away then a bike or t-ride. Maybe she should work on getting her driver's license too. She was probably the only 20-year old at Harvard College who didn't have her license. Now that her 21st birthday was approaching she would want to have one so she could go out with her friends occasionally. Not that she was that into drinking but it would be nice to have the option.

She hopped off the red line at Downtown Crossing and climbed up the steps to wait for the orange line. 9:25. She should be fine to get to the restaurant for 10 and help her mama prepare for the lunch crowd. Lizzy hadn't been home much over the past two weeks. Mid-terms had kept her on campus so she'd only worked one shift last weekend. She didn't really mind helping out at the restaurant and since her papa had gotten sick, she was the only one who could manage reconciling the books. That's something else she would need to figure out when she was in New York this summer. Maybe it was time to hire an accountant. At any rate, coming home each week gave her a chance to check in on her folks and sisters. Make sure that Lilia and Katerina weren't getting into any trouble and try to encourage Maria to get into some trouble.

This ride was faster on this leg and pretty soon the T was pulling up to the Jackson Square stop. Lifting up her hood and pulling out her umbrella, Lizzy walked up Centre Street towards her parents' restaurant. It was a quaint little restaurant, a replica of the restaurant her abuela had in Oaxaca before she was born, or so her papa had told her. It had become locally well-known for their chicken in mole sauce and hot chocolate. She could use a steaming mug of it now. Hopefully mama had some on the stove waiting for her.

Lizzy walked around the back of the building that housed their restaurant and home. Racing up the back steps she popped her bag down in the front room and looked into the kitchen. Lilia and Katerina were slumped in chairs in the kitchen, sleep still in their eyes. "Hola chicas, que pasa?" The girls looked up at Lizzy and grunted. "I guess I won't be getting a good morning from you two. Is mama downstairs already?" Lizzy asked.

"Yea. I can't believe we had to work last night. We always have to work on Fridays and it's not fair. We had to work the entire weekend last weekend because you were barely around. You should've come home to work last night to make it up to us," Lydia whined.

"Quit complaining. You know around your finals I'll be picking up extra shifts to help out." Lizzy retorted. "Well, I'm heading down. I'll see you in a bit."

Lizzy headed back down the steps to the restaurant and could already smell the garlic and onions cooking. "Hola mama," Lizzy called out.

"Where have you been? I've been running around trying to get things ready and you've been wandering around your pretty little college campus taking your sweet time to get here," Francesca Benetez chided.

"Mama, it's 10:00 on the nose. I'm always here at 10. I was upstairs checking in with Lilia and Katerina and putting my backpack down. Now, what can I do to help you Mama," Lizzy patiently replied. Every weekend it was the same story. First the complaints and then the questions about her dating life would arise.

"How are things at school? Do you have a boyfriend yet? You're getting close to finishing and you really need to find a nice rich American to marry. There must be so many rich American men at Harvard. Why, if Lilia or Katerina were there they'd have already gotten married. You should know what to do, " Her mama said in an exasperated voice.

"Mama, I'm not in school to get married. I'm in school to get an education." Lizzy repeated for likely the millionth time in her life.

"I don't know why you don't listen to me. I just don't understand. Just go, go out to the seating area and make sure its ready to go for the day," Franny, as her mama was commonly known, called out, already walking away.

Lizzy got down to work. The next hour flew by and soon enough, a few regulars were seated for lunch. 3:00 came around and the last of the lunch customers were gone, the dining room was clean, and she could head upstairs to check on her papa.

Her papa had been the main cook for the first 11 years the restaurant had been open but a heart attack had slowed him down and ever since he barely stepped foot in the restaurant. Well, that's not quite true. After his first heart attack, he continued to supervise the cooking but, in the past two years, after his second heart attack, he had retreated to his office and barely emerged for meals. They'd needed to hire an extra cook to take over more of the responsibility. It was a bit of a blow financially for the family but fortunately her papa seemed to be regaining his strength and maybe he would start cooking more again. She found him where he always was, reading in his office. He was really enjoying having her at Harvard now. The Spanish language library was filled with classics he hadn't read in years and she always brought him a new book to read when she came home to work.

"Papa?" Lizzy called as she entered the room.

"Ah, mi lucero, you have finally come to see me," her papa responded.

"Oh papa, you know I've been downstairs in the restaurant helping mama. How are you feeling? Have you been taking your medicines?" Lizzy asked. She always worried for him but the past two years had been worse.

"Always keeping your papa in line. Never fear, your mama is so afraid I'm going to drop dead that she stands over me while I take my medicines every day. I'm feeling well. Now Lizzy, do you have my book? I'm completely done with the last two you brought me." Her papa looked much better and his eyes were twinkling as he started to search through her bag. He grabbed the book and looked it over. Oh, wonderful. I haven't read this one in years. A true classic." Tomas looked up at her with a critical eye now. "Lizzy, you look worried about something. And it's not my health. Tell me your story." Tomas Benetez said as he patted the chair next to him.

Lizzy grabbed her backpack and sat down next to her papa in the chair she had occupied for every important conversation in her life. She had thought a lot about how she was going to tell her papa about the internship. During her train ride this morning she had decided that the best way to tell him was to simply hand him the letter she received from the New York Times and let him read it.

"Papa, I have some very good news. I think it's best if you read this letter I've received." She handed the piece of paper over to him and watched his expression as he unfolded the paper and began to read.

Tomas Benetez had always supported her writing. Talking about her successes to all the restaurant regulars. He should be excited. She watched him as he read. At first he looked interested but all of a sudden all the color drained from his face. He dropped the letter and his head dropped down to his hands.

Lizzy jumped up and kneeled down in front of her father. "Papa, what's wrong! Are you ok? Do you need anything?" Lizzy urgently asked.

"Oh Elizabeth, everything is wrong and it's all my fault." Lizzy had never seen her papa this distraught. He wouldn't look at her. Wouldn't turn his face to her.

"What are you talking about papa? Did you read the letter? It's good news. My dreams are being realized. I know you're not comfortable with traveling but truly papa I will be fine." Lizzy urged.

"Elizabeth, I have dreaded and put off this conversation with you for too long." He sighed. "I can't believe it's been 20 years. We should have talked about this a long time ago. I am sorry Lizzy. So very sorry and I don't know what to do." Her papa mumbled as he said the last words.

She had never heard or seen her papa look this sad, morose really. But she truly did not understand what he was talking about. How could an internship be so terrible as to upset her papa this much?

"Papa, you're scaring me. Please talk to me," Lizzy urged.

Talking a deep breath, her papa looked up and met her eyes. He sighed, stood up and walked over to the window. "Elizabeth, do you know the story of how we came to this country? Do you know, do you know where you were born?" Her father began.

"Um, I know that you and mama were both from the state of Oaxaca and there was some civil unrest. You didn't think it was a safe place to raise a family so abuela sold her restaurant and gave you and mama the proceeds so you could move to America to start your restaurant. You came to Boston because the Lopez' had settled here and they had found a great Latino community here in JP. Is that right papa?" Lizzy asked.

"For the most part, yes. What we've never discussed is our status - or your status. You see, mama and I were born in Mexico... and so were you. We travelled here, when you were 9 months old. We thought once we got here we could convert our tourist visas to permanent visas but we weren't successful. But we didn't leave like we were supposed to. We simply stayed. And here we are, still here, but not legally. Only Maria, Katerina and Lilia, are US citizens," her papa said.

Lizzy's head was spinning. The words sinking in and as they did, she jumped up from her chair and turned to her papa. "Wait! Are you saying I am an illegal immigrant?" Lizzy almost shouted. "I am not an American citizen!"

"I am so very sorry mi lucero. No, you're not a US citizen. You can't work because you aren't here legally. Your sisters can because they were born here, but we - you, me and mama, are not. I've hoped and prayed that they'd change the laws. That there would be a way to change this. When we came 20 years ago, it wasn't really a big deal. You could do all sorts of things without having a social security number. But in recent years it's just gotten so very hard. That's part of why your mama is always trying to get you married. She is so worried that if you don't marry, you'll be found out and deported. I'm sorry I didn't tell you - long ago - but it seemed we always found a way around it and I just thought that by the time it mattered, the laws would've changed and you'd be fine." Tomas Benetez looked over at his beautiful daughter, his little bright star, with true remorse. How could he have done this to her?

For the first time in a very long time, Elizabeth Benetez was speechless. It had honestly never occurred to her that she wasn't an American. She had lived here her entire life, or at least, she thought she had. Her entire life now felt like a lie. She couldn't stay here in this house. She couldn't look at her papa or mama. They had lied to her all these years. She couldn't look at her sisters. They didn't have her problem. They could do anything they wanted. It just didn't feel fair and yet she was stuck. She needed to leave.

Lizzy looked once more at her papa, grabbed her backpack and ran out of the house.

Outside in the crisp November afternoon, Lizzy took fresh eyes to her surroundings. At least the rain had stopped. She took off towards Jamaica Pond. She had often worked through challenges walking around the pond and Arnold Arboretum.

'I'm here, in the United States, illegally. I could be deported and sent to a country I haven't seen since I was 9 months old.' These thoughts were circulating in her mind combining with pure disbelief. It simply had never occurred to her. Why? There had been so many signs and yet it had never entered her mind to even ask. On all of her college applications she had always written that her place of birth was Boston, MA and her parents had never said anything. What was she going to do? She didn't understand what this would mean. Several loops around the pond did her no good however, and she decided she needed to work her way back towards a T station so she could get back to campus. Her first stop was going to be Widener Library. She needed to research immigration and understand her options. She sent a quick text over to Maria letting her know that she was heading back to Cambridge. Maria would tell her parents; saving Lizzy the necessity of another conversation with her parents.


	6. Darcy's Responsibility

And one for Darcy... I am going to be traveling this week so I probably won't have a chance to post this week at all. I love to hear your thoughts and reactions. I like having a nicer Darcy but he is going to become a little more self absorbed pretty soon. And Lizzy is now going to be forced to depend on others. Keep sending me your comments. I love them :)

* * *

Fitzwilliam Darcy was early as always. His father had taught him when he was very young, "To be on time is to be 15 minutes early." The lesson had stuck and here he was, at his aunt and uncle Fitzwilliam's home, at 6:45. The Fitzwilliam home was a brisk walk from the MGH/Charles T-stop. It was a beautiful brick and stone brownstone that his great, great grandfather had constructed in 1828. Directly across from the public garden he stood and paused. He had spent some wonderful afternoons when Georgie was little, walking from his aunt and uncle's over to the swan boats in the summer or ice skating on the frog pond in the Common in the winter. Shaking himself, he turned and rang the bell. Might as well find out what is awaiting me. The door was promptly answered and he was shown into his uncle's study where both his aunt and uncle seemed to be engaged in an active discussion.

"Aunt Sophia, Uncle Henry, thank you for inviting me for dinner." Fitzwilliam spoke with proper deference.

His aunt and uncle immediately stepped apart. His aunt was obviously still irritated about something but his uncle's face quickly transformed into a broad smile. Years of politics had trained him and William could sense he was getting the full effect.

"William, it is wonderful to see you! How is your final year going? I am sure you are excited for life to start at last. I remember my last months as HLS. I couldn't wait for the real world to start." Henry Fitzwilliam's voice boomed as he walked towards he nephew.

Sophia Fitzwilliam walked over to William, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, looked into his eyes and sighed. She had been a second mother to the Darcy children since their own mother had passed when he was in high school. Something was clearly troubling her. "It is good to see you William. I am going to check on dinner. Sit here with your uncle while I get an estimate on when dinner will be ready." With that said, his Aunt Sophia turned to leave the room, shooting a final glare in the direction of his uncle.

Whatever message was sent by his aunt, was clearly received by his uncle. Henry then turned to William. "What are you drinking these days? Are you sticking to D'Arcy wines or are you willing to share a whiskey with your uncle?"

"Whatever you are drinking uncle, works for me," Fitzwilliam offered. He took the proffered drink and sat down across the desk from his uncle. "So how are things down in DC?" he asked.

"Oh, same old, same old. It is getting harder and harder to get anything done and we really need to tackle the budget and immigration but no one wants to work on anything controversial. All the Republicans are still focused on healthcare. It's so frustrating. It passed, lets move on!" Senator Fitzwilliam complained.

His uncle had clearly wanted to speak with him about something important, and it wasn't the US budget or healthcare. Fitzwilliam, despite having grown up in a political family wasn't the least bit interested in politics, and only expressed an opinion when forced to defend his family in some way or another. In general, he avoided these conversations if at all possible. Will was anxious to figure out what the intrigue was. After speaking with Richard yesterday he knew his Aunt Catherine was up to something, it had to do with his father's will and some new obligation he needed to take care of. The secrecy of it all was maddening.

"So you wanted to speak with me, Uncle Henry," Fitzwilliam started.

"Oh, lets enjoy a little dinner before we discuss business. I am not sure our conversation will aid digestion," his uncle demurred.

With this brusque dismissal of the elephant in the room, they each took a sip of their whiskey and sat down waiting for dinner to be called. They discussed mundane topics, the upcoming holidays, Georgiana's adjustment to her new school, and the like. As usual, the topic of Will's love life arose but, as there was never anything happening in his love life, that topic was quickly covered. Fitzwilliam was happy to see his uncle and aunt. They had been a wonderful support the past few years and he had truly appreciated being able to rely on them, especially with Georgie. It was also nice to talk about things other than cases or Pemberley Enterprises.

Dinner was relaxing indeed. His Aunt Sophia had a talent for engaging her guests and she shared a number of amusing anecdotes about her latest forays into prying funds away from her friends to fund her favorite social campaigns. She was a master at getting others to join her in her battles against the complex issues impacting children's poverty. It was no small wonder how she convinced her husband to champion many of these same issues on the Senate floor listening to her impassioned conversation at the dinner table. She reminded him of someone, Elizabeth. He could see the two of them getting along famously. They shared a common fire. Why was he thinking of her of all people? Yes, she had made quite an impression on him but really she was just a college student. Well, she was so very different from the other Harvard undergrads he had known. They were all smart and hard working and Lizzy was the same in these regards but there was something else. Nothing had been handed to her in this life and she truly appreciated all she had. But she didn't have a chip on her shoulder. She never acted like she had something to prove. She was accomplished but was also unbelievably kind and caring to those around her. She had a smile for everyone whether they were the maid, a professor or a fellow student. And she was always quick to find humor in the littlest things, even her challenges. You just couldn't help feeling good and optimistic when you were around her, even when she was challenging you.

"William, are you still with us? We seem to have lost you there. What were you thinking about?" Sophia Fitzwilliam teased.

"I am sorry I wasn't attending aunt." William blushed at being caught thinking about her.

"Oh, no worries. Whatever you were thinking about seemed pleasant. I can't remember the last time I saw a smile cross your face like that. Do you want to share?" Sophia asked.

"Oh, it was nothing, nothing worth mentioning." He responded.

"Ok then. If you say so. Would you like some coffee or tea with dessert? I thought we could go sit in the family room and have dessert where we can talk and be a little more comfortable." Aunt Sophia asked.

"Coffee would be perfect. And a slice of your apple pie. I know you have it back there in the kitchen because you know it is my all time favorite," William grinned. He then took a deep breath and then turned to his uncle, "I admit, I am anxious about whatever new issue there is with my father's will. I combed through it again Wednesday night and believe I have fulfilled, or will have fulfilled every requirement to the letter."

"Let's head over to the family room and we can get that pie and coffee. Sophia dear, will you meet us in there?" Uncle Henry asked.

"Yes dear, and don't start without me," she insisted.

Settling down by the fireplace, William took a chair across from the loveseat his aunt and uncle always occupied. The room was warm and inviting. A mix of creams, browns and golds gave the entire room a calming effect. The Persian rug beneath their feet, shared these colors with the occasional slate blue highlight to add a touch of color offsetting the overall muted effect and drawing in the blues found in several paintings around the room. The paintings, had been in the family for generations, and captured scenic vistas from England where the Fitzwilliam family had originated hundreds of years ago.

His aunt came into the room, followed by their housekeeper, each with a tray containing dessert plates and coffee service for three. Setting them down on the table between them, his aunt joined his uncle on the loveseat and began pouring out the coffee. The housekeeper quickly left the room, closing the door behind her as she left.

"William, as you mentioned earlier, an issue has arisen related to your father's will and we wanted to discuss it with you prior to Thanksgiving and an upcoming meeting you will need to have with the estate attorney later this month. To be honest, we only became aware of this new condition about a week ago when my sister Catherine said something to me as we planned out the holidays. Apparently, she has been aware of this clause since before your father's passing but had kept quiet until now." Henry paused, taking his wife's hand and a deep breath before continuing.

"The condition, is not related to your inheritance, but rather has to do with Georgiana, her custody, and her inheritance." With this statement, he had William's full attention. "Your father was apparently concerned about your ability to juggle all of the responsibilities of taking on Pemberley corporation will parenting a teenager. We all know how hard you have worked, and your aunt and I have done everything we could to support you these past five years. But it will be a big change when you take full control of Pemberley and its global operations. It is hard to get into what he was thinking but I can only imagine that \your father was thinking of you and was persuaded, somehow by my sister, to add this codicil. The addition, in effect, transfers custody of Georgiana to Catherine, if you are not married by the time of your graduation or by your 28th birthday, whichever comes second. Moreover, it transfers oversight of Georgiana's fortune until her 21st birthday to Catherine," Henry informed him, clearly having difficulty looking him in the eyes as he delivered this last piece of information.

William was stunned. What was his father thinking? How could he take Georgie away from him? Of course, Pemberley was important but never more important than his only remaining immediate family. Why would he father think he wouldn't make time for her? He was angry. He had worked so very hard to live up to every expectation and requirement his father had placed before him and what was his reward? To take away his baby sister!

While he was processing this stunning information, he aunt had moved to the chair next to him. She took his hand, squeezed it and said, "William, to be honest, I still have trouble believing that George Darcy would do something this stupid and thoughtless, but he did, and we need to work with it. Your uncle and I have had the codicil reviewed by two attorneys and it seemes there is nothing that can be done about it. I don't believe your father meant any harm by this. Honestly, I think he was trying to help you, knowing how much you would want to prove yourself in the early years of taking over the company and was, in his way, trying to provide support."

"I can't believe he is doing this to me, to both Georgie and me. I love her more than anything else in this world. She is always my first priority. She is all I have left of my parents. To entrust her to Aunt Catherine, well I know I shouldn't speak ill of one of my elders, but seriously, Georgie is afraid of her! And that woman has lost most of her own fortune. To entrust her inheritance to her, what could he have been thinking!" William shouted.

"William, we are not going anywhere. We will make sure that all is well. And so will you." Henry said trying to be reassuring.

William slumped in his chair. What could he do? He didn't know anyone he wanted to marry. But he had to find a solution, because he was not giving up Georgie. They had been through so much together, and he didn't trust his Aunt Catherine.

Aunt Sophia commented, "Well, I now have a better understanding of why she was always downplaying any attempt to get you to date. She wanted to make sure that you wouldn't marry." Sophia Fitzwilliam had never liked her sister-in-law and this simply reinforced her prior impressions.

William stood up. He needed to think. He turned to his aunt and uncle. "I am sorry, but I need to be alone. Can you send me a copy of the codicil so I can read it myself. I think I need to see the words to really believe this is happening. Maybe I can share it with one of my professors to see if I can challenge this in anyway."

"Of course, I will have our family attorneys' direct a copy over to you on Monday as soon as they open. William, this will be ok. Go home and get a good night sleep and we can speak tomorrow." His uncle said, trying to be reassuring.

He placed a kiss on his aunt's cheek, shook his uncle's hand and walked to the front door. Shrugging on his coat, William walked into the cool night air. He turned toward Charles Street and slowly walked towards the red line, his mind still trying to process the information he had just received.

He barely noticed the train arriving and walked into the car, dropping down into an empty seat. Lost in his thoughts he decided there was little he could do tonight and took out his phone, deciding to check his emails. As he did so, he looked up and noticed a young woman sitting across from him. Her face was turned away, but she reminded him so very much of Elizabeth. He was just trying to figure out if it was in fact her, when she turned her head and looked over at him. Tears streaked her face and her beautiful brown eyes were swollen and red. She had clearly been crying for some time. She quickly hid her face, but it was too late. He jumped up and sat down next to her.

"Lizzy, whatever is the matter? Are you hurt? Can I help you?


	7. Two Ships Passing

Well, I have literally crisscrossed the US this week and gone up and down the eastern seaboard. The benefit of all of those planes, trains and automobiles is that I worked out some major plot issues in my mind. Now just to write them... Thanks for everyone who has favorited, followed and left reviews. In response to those I couldn't get to directly, Lizzy is a junior in college which makes her about 20/21. Darcy is 27 about to be 28 so similar to canon. Yes, I probably didn't have enough greats in Darcy's ancestors. I am not sure how much this story will push into immigration rights but it will explore the theme a little through the implications it has on Lizzy, her choices and the impact on the individuals in her family and their relationships. Yes, many can see where this story is going but it will take some time to get there. Happy reading!

* * *

Lizzy looked up and indeed, it was William Darcy sitting next to her with concern wrinkling his brow. The words finally penetrated her tears, "Are you hurt?"

"Oh, no. Thank you for your concern. I'm fine." Lizzy said while furiously searching her backpack for tissues. Failing to find any, she used both hands to wipe the tears away from her face.

"I know that we've only seen each other twice before, but it's fairly clear that you're not fine." Darcy said.

"Ever the astute one, no wonder you are being given degrees from both the business school and the law school." Lizzy teased.

"Now that seems more like the Lizzy I've met. Is there anything I can do for you?" William asked.

Lizzy looked down to her lap, "Unfortunately, no one can help me."

"That sounds serious. My sister tells me that while I'm not much of a talker but I am a pretty good listener." Darcy offered.

"You have a sister?" Lizzy asked.

"Yes, she's 15, actually almost 16. She's is in school in Maryland." Darcy responded and pulled out his phone. Opening up the photos app to reveal a picture of a brightly smiling girl, with long wispy blond hair and clear blue eyes. He stared down at his sister's picture with a wistful smile. "This picture was taken about a year ago. I should probably update the pictures."

"She's a beautiful young woman. She's lucky to have you to listen to her." Lizzy said with a smile.

The train started to pull into Harvard Square, "Well, this looks to be my stop. Thank you for, um, distracting me. I'm just going to head back to my room and call it a night I think."

He didn't want to let her go. He felt almost protective of her and he could tell there was something that was still upsetting her. She seemed distant and distracted. "It appears to be the stop for both of us. Can I walk you back to your house? It's probably best for you to not be walking about at night by yourself." William offered as they exited the train.

"Oh, thank you. I'm afraid I won't be very good company. As you could probably tell by my brilliant red nose and eyes, I'm a bit overwhelmed by some information I received today. I think I'm better off on my own." Lizzy said quickly walking towards the exit.

"There seems to be a lot of that going around." William muttered. Lizzy looked up at him quizzically. "It's still not that late. Why don't we grab a hot chocolate over at Burdick's and then I can walk you home. We can talk about your internship to distract you some more."

On this suggestion, Lizzy burst into tears. The mention of her internship and the reminder of such a happy night out with friends overwhelmed her. She looked up at William and whispered, "I'm sorry, I just can't." She turned away from him, racing up the stairs but not really thinking. His words brought it all rushing back and she needed to be alone to clear her mind. At first he simply stared at her departing back. When he realized she was running away, William started to run after her but she was gone.

William sighed, his shoulders slumped, clearly not understanding what he had done and at a loss as to what he could do. Unfortunately, he was getting used to feeling completely useless when it came to making a woman feel better. He was at a loss as to how to help his sister and now, when he had offered to buy a woman hot chocolate, she burst into tears and ran the opposite direction. Maybe Georgie was better off with Aunt Catherine as a guardian.

It was that thought that snapped him out of his funk. The notion of Aunt Cathy doing a better job than he would was completely irrational and he would not let some overly emotional college kid distract him from his priorities. Turning towards the river, he took in the cool autumn air and began walking towards his apartment contemplating all that his uncle and aunt had told him. One thing was certain, he would not give up Georgie!

Will felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He looked at the phone to see Richard's smiling face beaming up at him. Pressing the accept button, he put the phone up to his ear. "Hey Rich. Have you spoken with your parents?"

"Yea. I can't believe Aunt Cathy convinced your dad to add on such an idiotic condition to his will. She clearly took advantage of a moment of weakness. That woman certainly knows how to push a person's buttons."

Darcy grimaced, "My thoughts exactly. I will try to reverse it but I'm sure your parents have done all the same leg work that I'm planning and I won't be able to fight it."

"So what will you do?" Richard asked.

"I'm not sure. I really don't know. I don't know anyone that I would want to marry. I actually thought tonight that maybe Georgie would be better off. I haven't done the best job so far, so maybe Dad was right. Maybe he knew I couldn't really handle it and so he was doing the right thing."

Darcy sounded defeated. Richard had never heard him like this before. "Hey Darce? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Georgie's problems last year can be laid squarely at your father's feet. HE trusted Wickham and that is why Georgie did. You've been terrific for Georgie. You're the one who saved her. Beating yourself up is not going to help solve this problem. We need a plan and we will come up with one."

"Thanks for the pep talk. I've had kind of a rough night."

"Did anything happen besides the dinner with my parents?" Rich asked.

"Well, there was this girl, but, nevermind. It doesn't actually matter." Darcy mumbled.

"What? A girl? Who, what, where, when. I need answers man." Rich insisted.

"No, its really nothing. This girl I met, I saw her on the train tonight, crying and really upset. When I tried to make her feel better she just burst into tears again and ran off. It's just that winning Darcy charm at work." Darcy attempted to joke.

"Darce, it sounds like something was seriously troubling her before you showed up. You can NOT take that on. I know you feel like you are responsible for the entire world but you truly are not. So, am I going to see you at Thanksgiving? I want to take you out and get you plastered. You need it." Rich urged.

"Yea, although I'm not sure what to do about Georgie. She doesn't want to come to Aunt Cathy's and I can kind of understand, especially if this codicil is a topic of conversation. She's finally doing a little better and the last thing she needs is her world turned upside down again." Darcy shared.

"Well there's a chance my dad is gonna be stuck in DC over Thanksgiving for some kind of budget showdown. He mentioned to me last week that he might not make it up to Maine for Thanksgiving. Maybe Georgie could stay in DC with my mom and dad and we could cover Thanksgiving for the family." Rich offered.

"That sounds like a reasonable solution. I'll call Georgie and float the idea. I just don't want her to think that I don't want to spend Thanksgiving with her. It's really just about giving her an out. Are you certain about your parent's plans?" Darcy asked.

"Only one way to find out. I told them I'd call them back after I spoke to you. I'll send you a text if the plan is confirmed. Does that work?" Rich asked.

"Sure, sounds like a plan. Thanks Rich. I'm glad I have you to think this through." Darcy sighed.

"Anytime, bro. I love ya." Rich said sincerely.

"Right back atcha." Darcy replied and ended the call.

During the call, Darcy had slowly made his way back towards the tower that housed his apartment. For the last few minutes of the call, he had waiting outside the building not wanting to cut off the call with his cousin. Looking up at the lone hi-rise he took a final breath of fresh air and then walked in. Upon exiting the elevator to his floor he entered his apartment and took a look around. It had beautiful views of the Charles River. It was clean, organized and comfortably decorated, and it felt a little empty. He walked over to the kitchen to set his things down and grab a glass of water. Looking over to the dining room he found his cat Groucho, sprawled across the dining room table. "No, don't bother to get up and welcome me Grouch. It's just me anyway." Darcy said to the well-fed cat. Groucho lifted his head, blinked his yellow eyes and went back to sleep.

His phone buzzed and sure enough Rich had texted that all was set with his parents for Georgie to spend Thanksgiving in DC with them. Ok, now time to call Georgie.

"Hello?"

"Hey Georgie, it's your favorite brother." Will responded.

"Will, you're my only brother." Georgie deadpanned.

"Then I better be your favorite or else we have some serious trouble." He joked.

"We both know you are the best brother ever so I don't think you have anything to worry about. But I have a question for you. What in the world are you, a handsome, wealthy, and incredibly kind man, doing at home, calling your sister on a Saturday night? Shouldn't you have a woman hanging off of each arm or something?" Georgie teased.

"I think you have me confused with your cousin Richard. He's usually the one with women hanging off of him. You might remember me, the shy, silent, stoic one who can't figure out how to talk to a girl?" Darcy rejoined.

"Someday William. Some girl will see through your shy demeanor and find the treasure within. And it won't be about your hundreds of millions. It'll be all for you, the person." Georgie said sincerely.

"From your lips to God's ears, my dear." William responded.

"Ok so you didn't call me to talk about your burgeoning love life, so did you call to talk about Thanksgiving? I really don't want to go to Aunt Cathy's. She kind of scares me." Georgie begged.

"Actually, you're right. Richard and I cooked up a plan to spare you but it means we won't be able to spend Thanksgiving together. I'd much rather be with you than Aunt Cathy. I hope you know that. You are the most important person in the world to me." William said with full sincerity in my voice.

"I want to see you too. I hope that you don't think that I want to be away from you. It's just that, I've spent some time talking about this with my therapist and I'm trying to build confidence in myself. Aunt Cathy has a way of making me question myself all over again. Do you think we could get together maybe after Thanksgiving?" Georgie asked in a small voice.

Darcy hated when she retreated back. He wanted the old Georgie back. The one who would tell him exactly what she thought and would push him. He heard glimpses of her at the start of the conversation but then she faded away. When there was any uncertainty, she would almost fold into herself. "You name the date and I'll be there. Like I said, for you, I'll do anything."

"Thanks. I love you Will."

"I love you too Georgie. You're the best sister I could ever ask for." Will responded.

"Ok, enough of that. So tell me again why you are at home on a Saturday night?" Georgie probed.

"Enough!" He laughed. "I had dinner with our aunt and uncle tonight and so I didn't make other plans. We arranged that you'll be spending Thanksgiving with them in DC and Richard and I'll brave Aunt Cathy on behalf of the Fitzwilliam and Darcy families. Richard has promised to get me drunk to help deal with the onslaught of guilt from Aunt Cathy."

"Well, at least you have your partner in crime. And thank you Will. I really appreciate you making it possible for me to skip Thanksgiving with Aunt Cathy. You're a better person than I am. Although I'm not old enough to drink so maybe that factors into it." Georgie added.

"Anytime. I should probably let you go to sleep and I might turn in as well. Nothing keeping me awake so I might as well get some rest. Talk to you soon?" Will asked.

"Talk to you soon Will. Love you." Georgie said and they ended the call.

With that taken care of, Will headed into his room to turn in for the night. It was close to 11 and he really had nothing keeping him awake at this point.

Lizzy woke up, fully dressed in the clothes she had worn home on Saturday. Her eyes were puffy from crying so much the day before. She knew she should get into a shower and head over to the library before Charlotte woke up and started questioning her for being back on campus. Ordinarily she didn't come back until Sunday afternoon, after she had gone over the books and had Sunday dinner with her family. She wasn't up for explaining her early return.

A quick shower and a change of clothes and she was out the door before Charlotte had even stirred. Interesting that Jane was still not back form Charlie's. Hmmm. Things seem to be going well in that camp at least.

Walking through the yard, it was still and quiet. Climbing the stairs to Widener Library, Lizzy could recall her feelings of overwhelming awe when she first came to campus to visit as a prospective student. She had achieved so much in her early life that she simply couldn't believe that she would now be thwarted. She had to find a solution and the library was a reasonable place to start. Lizzy logged into the campus library system in order to access the legal libraries on line. As the hours ticked by, Lizzy became slowly more frustrated. She was not going to be able to navigate this by herself. She needed help but had no idea where to turn.

The hours passed and Lizzy felt someone tugging on her shoulder. She jumped and looked quickly around to see Charlotte standing over her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask the same of you? First, I come home at 3am to find you asleep yet fully dressed. Then I wake up and you are gone without a note or a word to me. Then, I wait all day for you to come back to the house, calling and texting you. It's 8:00 at night and no one has seen you all day! I called your sisters and they said you left yesterday at 4:00 and didn't expect you to return. Why did you come back to campus yesterday?Why are you asleep in the library? What's going on?" Charlotte pressed.

"I, um, I really can't talk about it. To anyone. Please don't be offended but I simply can't." She sighed. "Well, I've probably done all of the research I can for today so I might as well come back with you." Lizzy answered solemnly.

"Have you eaten? You look like you've been here all day." Charlotte asked.

"I'm not really hungry. Don't worry about me." Lizzy urged.

Charlotte wasn't convinced. Lizzy's clothes were rumpled, her hair was coming out of her ponytail on all sides, her eyes were red and swollen and she had dark circles under her eyes. "I insist that we stop and grab a bite on the way back to the house. You're skinny as it is and I don't want you fainting on me. I already have one sick roommate. I don't think I can handle another one."

"Yes ma'am." Lizzy teased. They grabbed ice cream at Lizzy's in the Square and walked back to Pforzheimer House. Charlotte tried to probe a few times but Lizzy shut it down each time. Charlotte knew that Lizzy was a very private person and would only talk when she was ready so she told her some amusing stories from the party she had gone to last night. Charlie had apparently told her about some Law School party and Charlotte grabbed a fellow housemate to go with her. She had hooked up with some third year law student, Bill, who was very impressed with himself and the internship he had done over the summer with DeBourgh & Fitzwilliam, a high-priced law firm in DC. She had woken up in his bed at 2:30 in the morning and decided to high tail it back to the house. The girls had a good laugh about beer goggles as they made their way back to their room. Once inside their beds, Lizzy's thoughts drifted back to her train ride home, how incredibly sad and hopeless she felt, and the kindness offered by William Darcy. He probably thought she was completely off her rocker by the way she had reacted to him. Oh well.


	8. Is That A Dog or A Ferret?

Thanks to everyone who has left reviews and is following :) There was one question from a guest that I haven't answered so I thought I would do it here. I don't really have a way to find out what docs were required 20 years ago to register for school in Boston but today the rules are that you need to prove residency (utility bills can do the trick) and a birth certificate to prove age. Lizzy's parents would have registered her when she was 4 and had her birth certificate - it was just from Mexico. In sitting for the placement exams for high school and college, you can get your school to provide proof of their identification if your child doesn't have a driver's license of passport. They literally provide a notarized letter with your kid's picture on it and their name attesting to their identity. Now...onto today's installment :)

* * *

Darcy bolted out of his second class of the day. He wanted to find a quiet place to check email and to see if the attorney's had sent along the elusive codicil. Settling into a quiet corner of the HLS library, Darcy powered up his laptop and opened his email. Amidst the random junk mail that seemed to clog his inbox daily he saw the email from Fitzwilliam & DeBourgh LLC. He clicked the email open and downloaded the pdf. The attached document was fairly short and Darcy got through the document quickly. Two clauses. Both attached to his marital status upon graduation from school or upon turning 28. If he wasn't married by the time he graduated, two things happened. First, the guardianship of Georgiana Marie Darcy was transferred to Catherine DeBourgh until Georgie turned 18. Second, control of Georgiana's trust fund and Pemberley Holdings stock would be overseen by Catherine until Georgie was 21. Doing some quick mental math Darcy estimated that today, Georgie's trust fund was valued at over $30 million, not including her 10% ownership stake in Pemberley Holdings. There was another stipulation, which his aunt and uncle hadn't mentioned. If he was married by graduation, but filed for divorce before Georgie reached 21, the conditions would come into force. 'Well, no quick wedding will work to get out of this.' William thought.

Looking over the document again, William noted that that the document was dated four months before his father had died. That placed it around the time of George Darcy's diagnosis. His signature still appeared to be strong and it was witnessed by two of the senior partners at the law firm. That would make it difficult to fight, even if he wanted to. The idea of making the argument that his father was already too ill at the time of it's signing, that he wasn't of sound mind, had no appeal. That claim, and all of its attendant implications about other decisions he made at the same time, was truly not palatable. The only other avenue was to try and get his aunt declared incompetent. Again, not likely. For as difficult as she was, Catherine DeBourgh was still sharp as a tack. Setting his laptop on the table he decided he should call his uncle.

The phone rang and Senator Fitzwilliam's assistant promptly answered the phone. "Hi Clare, it's William Darcy. Is my uncle available?"

"Good morning Mr. Darcy. The senator told me to expect your call and to interrupt him if necessary. Hold on and I'll get him on the line for you." Clare, Henry's long-time assistant, put the line on hold and knocked on the adjoining door before opening it.

"Excuse me gentlemen. Senator, the call you have been waiting for is holding." Clare interrupted.

"Of course. You will have to excuse me but I have been waiting all morning for this call. Clare, please show these men out." Henry watched as she closed the door behind the departing constituents and paused to collect his thoughts. He was worried about his nephew. When he told his wife Sophia about the codicil, the language she used would've made a sailor blush. She had a point and he still couldn't believe his brother-in-law had actually made such a stupid decision. He couldn't understand how his sister had been able to influence him. Shaking his head he picked up the phone. "Good morning William, did you get the document?"

"Yes uncle, I did. I just finished reviewing it. As you told me on Saturday, my father's intentions are pretty clear. And I can't fight this document. Either my aunt or my father, may he rest in peace, would have to be deemed incompetent. Neither option seems plausible or desirable." William sighed.

"Look, let's see what we can do in the intervening months. Maybe we could find some way to tie up Georgiana's investments so Catherine can't really touch them. Your aunt and I have been talking and we will use all of our influence on Catherine to minimize the impact of her guardianship. And, when you get married, which will happen at some point, you can undo all of this." His uncle offered.

"Thanks Uncle Henry. Look, I appreciate your efforts to make me feel better but to be honest, it really sucks." Darcy uttered.

"No need to mince words son. You're right and I'm sorry. I can't really add anything to that sentiment. When do you want to tell Georgie?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure. I need to see what Aunt Cathy is thinking: probably not for a little while though. Georgie is finally beginning to settle into her new school and things are going well with her new therapist too. I need to process this myself first before I can imagine talking to Georgie about it." He sighed.

"Well, we will take good care of her over Thanksgiving so don't worry for now. There is still some time before this comes into effect." Henry said and paused before continuing, "your Aunt wanted to stop by tonight to check in with you. Will you be around to see her?"

"Of course." William was surprised but figured his aunt was going to try and assess how he was really handling all this news. "What time was she planning to come by?"

"Oh I think 7 or so. She was going to pick up some BBQ take-out from Red Bones on her way over. It's her weakness, you know, and given my low sodium diet she never gets to have it anymore." Henry said chuckling a little. His wife was all that was proper when she needed to be but deep down she was still the Southern girl he had met at in England when they were both exchange students at Oxford.

"I am looking forward to it. I'll be sure to pick up some Kentucky Bourbon to go along with the BBQ before she comes." Darcy added. This got another laugh from his uncle and they managed to get off the phone each with a smile on their faces.

Darcy checked his watch and realized he had just enough time to grab a sandwich in the cafeteria before his afternoon class. After class, Darcy cloistered himself in the stacks trying to breeze through his cases for the following day so that he could have an uninterrupted night with his aunt. He knew her well enough to know that they would in fact, be doing shots of bourbon tonight, and as such it was a safe bet that he wouldn't be getting anything done following dinner. His cousin Rich came by his alcohol tolerance honestly. His Aunt Sophia had grown up with three older brothers and a contingent of uncles and she certainly liked to let her hair down every once in awhile.

He got home at 6:45. Just enough time to jump through a shower before his aunt arrived, he thought. He was throwing on a button down shirt when he heard the doorbell. Walking over to the intercom he buzzed his aunt in and walked into the kitchen to get some glasses, ice and a pitcher of water. He heard a voice coming from the doorway. "Hello William. It's your Aunt Sophia here. Can you help me with the bags? I think I was a little ambitious in my ordering."

Running to the door he stared in disbelief. His aunt had bought enough food for six people rather than the two of them. Taking the bags from her, he carried them over to the kitchen and started pulling out Styrofoam containers of BBQ goodness. The tangy smell filled the condo and his mouth was watering. "Aunt, did you invite my law school class for dinner?" William said with a smile crossing his face.

"I know when I get bad news the best thing for me is to drown my sorrows in BBQ sauce and bourbon. I figured, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Now let's unpack all of this and settle down to this feast." Sophia Fitzwilliam grinned.

The two made themselves plates and sat at the dining room table. The first ten minutes they each ate in silence. William poured out some bourbon over ice for each of them and they sipped the drinks between bites of baby back ribs. Sitting back in her chair, Sophia decided she might as well start.

"William. I can't tell you how upset I was when I found out about that stupid codicil. Excuse my language but I didn't think it was possible to be so very angry with someone who has been dead for five years! Of course, I can very well be angry with my sister-in-law. Of all the manipulative things to do." She got up and started pacing. "William, I remember when your father was first diagnosed. He was so very concerned for you and Georgie. I keep thinking back to that time. He understood from the beginning that he didn't have long to live. He wanted to give you every minute of freedom before you were burdened with, well, with everything. He was so proud of you and he would be so very proud of the man you are today." Sophia paused and sat down again, directly across from William. Looking up at him she started again, "William, you are like a son to me. I have watched you grow into a wonderful, confident and accomplished man. Your mom and dad aren't here to tell you this and so I want to make sure someone is giving you the praise you deserve. I don't want this, this, this stupid thing to make you doubt yourself in anyway. Your father had ultimate confidence in you. Your Uncle Henry and I have total confidence in you as well and we will do everything we can to help you." Sophia paused and looked down at William before taking a long sip of water.

Refilling her glass William looked up at her and was so glad he uncle had married her. She was so unlike the rest of the family. She was real and honest to a fault. She was passionate about her family and her causes. She was bright and challenged his uncle to be the best Senator he could be. William hoped he would find a woman just like her to marry. "Thank you Aunt. You and uncle have been an undeniable support, really, ever since mom died. I can't begin to understand what my father was thinking and feeling when he found out about the tumor. I wish so very much he hadn't done this."

"What are you planning to tell Georgiana?" Sophia asked.

"Right now? Nothing. Georgie is just getting to be stable again and this will not help. I know I can't change it but I need to figure out a plan to protect Georgie. I can't give her up."

They fell into silence again for several minutes until his aunt went into the kitchen. A few minutes later she emerged with a plate of cornbread covered in melting butter. She set the plate down between them and picked one up with her fingers and took a bite. Will joined her and before long the plate was clean. Over the next two hours they continued drinking and stuffing their faces with BBQ reminiscing. Sophia shared stories of William's parents when they were first married and of times altogether as a family once he and Richard had been born. As the night progressed the bourbon began to have its effect.

"Ok, let's figure out all of the ways we can torture Cathy for plotting this. You and Richard are going there for Thanksgiving. Maybe you could swap the turkey for a ham. Cathy would be fit to be tied." Sophia started giggling. The ideas became more and more farfetched and by the time they were half way through the bottle of bourbon, Sophia had proposed all manner of pranks that would outrage his beloved Aunt Cathy. He knew he was likely going straight to the devil when he suggested replacing her beloved Corgi with a ferret.

Darcy looked at the time and realized it was already past 10. He should probably put his Aunt in a car and back to his Uncle. She really did know how to make him feel better and he was glad he had some relatives that simply cared that he was happy. She never put any expectations on him and had managed tonight to make this difficult situation seen manageable.

Standing up, he put his hand out to his aunt who took it and pulled herself up to standing. He pulled out his phone and placed an order on Uber. "Well, it looks as though a town car will be here in 10 minutes. Let's pack some of this BBQ up so you can take some with you Aunt." William offered.

"Always the gentleman William. Thank you for entertaining your old Aunt Sophia." They walked into the kitchen and found a completely unopened bag with containers of brisket, ribs, mashed potatoes and corn. After packing up the rest of the leftovers, William handed the unopened bag to his Aunt. She took the bag in one hand and William steadied her as he walked her into the elevators. Stepping out onto the ground floor they could see the car waiting for her. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed home.

William went back up to his condo and finished cleaning up. If any of his Aunt's society friends had seen her tonight they wouldn't have believed it. Chuckling to himself he decided he should probably take a few Advil before he went to bed tonight.


	9. An Offer Of Aid

I have a chapter coming up to explain US immigration laws. I have gotten some questions and I have researched them so I thought, especially for those that are non-US citizens, and even those that are, it would be helpful context for those who are interested. It is really a mess. I have googled the various positions of what I consider to be the three political parties in the US (Democrat, Republican and Tea Party). Only two actually have positions available to read in the public domain - and neither are the Republican party... I have also updated some of the earlier chapters to correct some minor mistakes. Grammatical errors are my pet peeves so hopefully those coming later to the story have a smoother read. Now, onto the latest chapter. Lizzy gets some aid from a familiar name, although new to this story...

* * *

"Miss Benetez, good morning!" Professor Gardiner greeted her. "I hear you got some good news recently. I received a reference call about you a few weeks ago from the NY Times and it sounded like they were sending you a letter to inform you of your internship. I can't imagine a better choice! Maddy is so excited for you and told me to pass along her congratulations."

Lizzy had been dreading running into Professor Gardiner ever since she had spoken with her father. How was she going to explain that she couldn't accept the internship after everything he had done to help her get it in the first place.

"Good morning." Lizzy said, barely taking her eyes above his knees.

Professor Gardiner looked over at his favorite student advisee. Elizabeth didn't seem like the confident, poised, young woman he had gotten to know so well these past 2-1/2 years. She was clearly uncomfortable, weight shifting from right to left. She wouldn't even look at him.

Lowering his voice Professor Gardiner enquired, "Elizabeth? Did you not receive a letter from the New York Times? Did I spill the beans?"

"Oh, no, I received the letter. Thank you for everything you've done to help me. I um, I need to go." Lizzy turned and ran the opposite direction. Not really knowing or caring where she was going. Just needing to get away.

The professor stared after her, completely flummoxed by her response. That was odd, he thought. Something is definitely not right and he needed to get to the bottom of it. He continued walking towards his office when he spotted Elizabeth's good friend and roommate Charlotte Lucas. Professor Gardiner decided to walk over to see if he could find out what was causing Lizzy to act so strangely. "Excuse me, Ms. Lucas, I was wondering if you had a moment."

Charlotte looked up and smiled, "Oh, sure Professor. What can I do for you?"

"Your roommate, Elizabeth Benetez, is everything ok? I was just speaking with her about her summer internship and, well, I have never seen her act so strangely. I'm concerned about her." Professor Gardiner asked kindly.

Charlotte wondered if she should share the worries that she and Jane had had since Saturday night when Lizzy came home early from her parents. Normally they didn't see Lizzy until late Sunday afternoon but last weekend she came home early and had clearly been crying. They tried everything to get her to talk to them but she wouldn't open up. Charlotte had found her sleeping in Widener Library Sunday evening and had coaxed her back to the house only with the promise that they not press her to talk. The change in her entire demeanor was so pronounced that Charlotte was beginning to think they needed to do something drastic. Perhaps Lizzy's advisor could be helpful.

"Professor Gardiner, I am very, very worried about Lizzy. I wasn't sure who to talk to but perhaps you can help. Lizzy normally goes home each Saturday morning, returning late Sunday afternoon after working in her parent's restaurant. This past weekend, she returned to campus Saturday night. Fellow housemates said she came back, wouldn't speak to anyone, her eyes swollen from crying. She has been mostly silent and pretty depressed ever since then. She avoids people, has barely been eating, and when she thinks no one is around, just sits and cries. I don't think she is sleeping much either. Jane and I have tried everything and we can't seem to get her to talk about what is bothering her." Charlotte shared. She seemed to be a little relieved to tell this to someone.

"This is serious. Thank you Ms. Lucas for informing me. Has she been spending most of her time in her room?" he asked.

"No actually, I usually find her in Widener Library by the computer pods. She seems to be spending every spare moment there, although she won't tell me or Jane why." Charlotte said in an exasperated tone.

The professor paused, contemplating his next step. "All right, I'll try to find her and see if I can get her to open up. She's always trusted me in the past. If not, we may need to call her parents to see if they can shed some light on the situation. Let me see if I can find her, but if you see her, please remind her that I'm here to help and encourage her to reach out to me." Professor Gardiner asked.

"Thank you Professor. We haven't known what to do and we're terribly worried about her." Charlotte said before starting down the path to head over to her next class.

Professor Gardiner looked at his watch. He had a little over an hour until he needed to prepare for his next class. Perhaps he could track Elizabeth down and begin to find out what's going on. Walking into Widener Library, Professor Gardiner began by scanning the computer stations. Sure enough, it didn't take long to spot her curly head staring at a computer screen. Walking up to her, he cleared his throat and tapped her on the shoulder. Lizzy jumped, blanched, and then quickly shut down the computer. Whatever was troubling Elizabeth, she didn't want anyone to see what she was researching.

"Um, hi again. Sorry I had to run so quickly but I'm on a bit of a time crunch and need to complete some research, for um, for a, a story, and so I don't have time to chat. Nice to see you though. Send my love to Maddy and the kids." The words rushed out of Lizzy's mouth.

He raised his eyebrows and moved a chair next to Lizzy's. There was no story she was working on and he needed to find out what was troubling her so much. "Now, Lizzy, either you think I was born yesterday or you think that people around here don't care enough about you to figure out that something is seriously troubling you. Jane and Charlotte are worried sick about you. You see me and run away. Your eyes are red with dark circles underneath and you look like you haven't slept or eaten in days. There are solutions to every problem and you have a lot of people here at school who will want to help you. I'd like you to tell me what is going on and then we'll start working on finding solutions." Professor Gardiner said calmly.

Lizzy stared at Professor Gardiner. Could she trust him to keep her secret? Would he really help her? Would she let him down if she told him? She couldn't bear the thought of people she looked up to rejecting her. She had spent the past two days in the library researching and had not come up with any ideas as to how to solve her problem. There was a lot about different kinds of amnesty programs and student visas but she really needed some advice. She couldn't afford to speak with a lawyer but perhaps Professor Gardiner might know someone who could help her. In reality, if there was one adult aside from her parents who she could trust with this secret it was him. At any rate, when she declined the internship he would demand an explanation - especially after everything he had done for her. He probably deserved the truth.

"Professor Gardiner, do you think there is somewhere private where we could talk? I'm not comfortable with the idea that someone might overhear our conversation." Lizzy asked.

"Hmmm, this does seem serious. Alright. Let's head back to my office and we can speak there. No one will disturb there," the professor offered.

Lizzy cleared her browsing history from the library's computer and grabbed her backpack. The professor's office was only a short walk across the campus. They walked up the two flights of stairs in silence, Lizzy lost in her thoughts and the professor watching her with concern while contemplating whatever this mysterious crisis might be that had so deeply affected this young student. He did consider that she might be blowing some issue out of proportion. Students, especially those who were so sheltered as Lizzy, sometimes got overly worried about minor issues. It was part of growing up he reasoned. He was certain he could help put whatever issue she had into its proper context.

They entered his office. It was a comfortable space with a long leather couch on one side, and a desk directly across from it built into a bookcase encompassing the opposite wall. Two windows brought natural light into the room with bookshelves covering the space beneath the windows as well. Professor Gardiner took a seat in his desk chair and twirled it around to face the couch where he directed Lizzy to sit. "Now, let's get to the bottom of what is bothering you so we can see that smile return to your face." Professor Gardiner started.

Lizzy looked around the room and took a deep breath. "Professor Gardiner, I don't believe this issue will be as easily resolved as you suppose. If I share this with you I need to ask for your promise of complete and total confidentiality. If I can't have that then I am afraid I can't share with you the issue I am presently wrestling with."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to belittle your issue. I am honor bound to say however that if this issue concerns your safety or the safety of members of the Harvard community then I will not be able to keep your confidence. Barring that, I'll keep your confidence," the professor promised.

"No, it's nothing like that. It is something that impacts me and my parents." Lizzy offered. She started shifting nervously on the sofa. She wasn't quite sure how to begin or where to look but if she was going to find a solution she needed to trust somebody. Lizzy sighed, looked down at her hands and started speaking softly. "This past Saturday, my father told me something that I had never known. I mean, I should've suspected it, but I really never had." Lizzy looked up at her professor to see that he was leaning forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees, listening intently. She continued, "My father told me this weekend that he and my mother entered this country on tourist visas when I was nine months old, and then, never left. The three of us are, well, we're here illegally. Based on my research, if I were discovered or if my parents were discovered, we'd be thrown in jail and deported back to Mexico. I can't get a driver's license and I can't work in the US." Lizzy looked up at her professor with tears in her eyes. "I had no idea. I'd always thought that I was born in Boston but it seems I was actually born in Oaxaca, Mexico, a place I haven't seen since I was a baby. I don't even know if I have relatives there." Lizzy despaired.

Her professor looked intensely at her, surprise evidenced on his face, and sat back in his chair. He had never suspected this to be the issue and completely understood her level of distress. He wasn't sure how he was going to help her but he was going to do his very best to try. Elizabeth Benetez was a great student, a kind and generous person and an asset to the Harvard community. She deserved to build a life in America. She had no control over the actions of her parents, and he was going to make sure she was not punished for the actions of others. He met her eyes and made a promise, "Elizabeth, I promise you that we will find a solution to this mess. You will go forward with the New York Times. I'll do everything I can to help you."

For the first time in forty-eight hours, Elizabeth felt a small amount of hope. "Thank you professor. I just appreciate knowing that I have someone who'll help me."


	10. The Elder Helps The Younger

A little mid-week update. A few more characters and for the most part everyone will be introduced...Enjoy

* * *

"Gilpin, do you have a few minutes for an old friend?" Gardiner asked. The aged law professor looked up from his desk, piles of paper surrounding him on all sides. You could barely see the crooked man from behind the stacks of cases that almost towered over him.

"Edward!" Professor Gilpin cried out. "It has been quite a long time since you last appeared in my office. What can I do for you?"

The professor started to stand and Edward Gardiner rushed to his side, helping the old gentleman up. The two men slowly walked over to two chairs in front of Professor Gilpin's desk.

Professor Solomon Gilpin has been on faculty at Harvard College and Harvard Law School for over 40 years. In his younger days he'd taught in the political science department at the college and this was where he first met the young Edward Gardiner. While he'd hoped his young protégé would turn towards the law, Edward's interests had been more geared towards continuing his studies in political science and journalism - specifically focusing on the way in which journalism influenced political systems. Professor Gilpin's life experiences had led him towards a career focused on the intersection of government policy and the law associated with issues in immigration. Having been turned away from America when his parents were fleeing the Nazi's in the early days of WWII, Professor Gilpin experienced firsthand the devastation that could impact a family when immigration policies are directed at a specific population. Three older siblings and his father had perished at the hands of the Nazi's. They had attempted to leave but had been banned from most of the world's ports as a result of immigration bans on Jews from Eastern Europe. Professor Gilpin and his mother had lived out the war in a work camp in Russia before finally emigrating to America after the war.

"Before we get to business, please tell me how Rebecca and your two sons are doing." Edward started.

"Oh, my beautiful Rebecca is still keeping me on my toes. She knows how to keep a man young." He said with twinkling eyes. "My boys work too hard and don't take enough time to enjoy life. Alexander is busy making money on Wall Street. He has at least given me three beautiful grandchildren. Michael is slaving away in DC along with his young wife. I'm hoping that we will soon see some grandchildren from them as well. At least they're all healthy and take some time to visit their mother and me from time to time." Professor Gilpin smiled as he thought of them. He really had been given a chance at a wonderful life here in America and had not forgotten his many blessings. "Now please, tell me how your beautiful wife and family are doing. Is Maddy still writing for the Globe?" the Professor asked.

"Madeline is working part-time, writing pieces by contract. She'll increase her efforts once the election season swings into full gear. Right now she is enjoying the slower pace so that she can be involved in volunteer efforts at our children's school. That said, I am not sure how much more she will be doing that. I think she's starting to get a little tired of the elementary school politics and is looking forward to the national election debate again." Edward shared.

"Are the politics at elementary school really so different from our national politics?" Professor Gilpin joked.

Edward smiled, "No. I guess not but at least the actors change more frequently than they seem to at school."

Edward looked at his mentor and knew he had made the right decision to reach out to his former professor. He would know how to help. With renewed conviction he began his story. "Solomon, I am so glad to see that all is well but I came here this afternoon because I need your help - or rather - a young and promising student I care about - needs some help, and I am optimistic that you are the best person I know to help her."

"This sounds serious Edward, and if its someone you hold in esteem I'll do my best to be of aid. Why don't you tell me what your student needs help with?" Solomon Gilpin said quietly.

Edward related the details as he knew them. Without giving specific details, he told his old friend about the bright young Latina student he had mentored for the past two-and-a-half years. He shared with the professor her hopes and ambitions. Finally, he outlined what Elizabeth had shared about her newly discovered immigration status. The Professor listened intently.

"These poor young people. Trapped in a country that does not want them and yet strangers to the country to which they were born." He sighed, thinking about the many challenges a young immigrant faces. He removed his glasses and held them in his right hand, using them to emphasize his next words. "There is no easy path here. The one thing she must not do is leave the country. If she does, she will not be able to re-enter for up to 10 years, no matter the circumstance. Your student does need legal counsel. My suggestion is that she stop by our free legal clinic on Thursday. Tell her to ask for me. I'll have her work with one of my top third year law students who'll help research her options and guide her through this process. It won't be easy and I am not sure we can figure this out. Fortunately, she is an accomplished young person who hasn't committed any crimes - aside from overstaying her visitor visa. Hopefully we can find a path to citizenship for her. I'm not optimistic that she will be able to accept the internship however. She'll likely need to turn it down, I'm sorry to say." Professor Gilpin rubbed his hand over his face and placed his glasses back on. We will help your young student. I look forward to meeting her on Thursday.

Edward Gardiner held out his hand to his longtime mentor. They shook hands as Edward thanked him and then helped his friend back over to his desk. At least there was the beginning of a plan. Professor Gilpin took a card from the top of his desk and handed it to Edward. "Please give this card to your student. It has the address of the law clinic and also has a hotline number she can call if there is an emergency that erupts unexpectedly and she requires prompt legal counsel." Edward put the card in his wallet. He'd inform Miss Benetez of this conversation and the next steps when he saw her tomorrow at the Crimson office.


	11. They Meet Again

Ok, So I think this is the chapter you have all been waiting for. I am really struggling with the chapter after this but I will try to post it on Wednesday. I know many of you want to the course to run smoothly but it will have a few small bumps. Overall, as I have said before, I like the kinder Darcy so I will endeavor to keep him closer to those elements.

And, thank you so much for the reviews, the favorites and the follows. You can't imagine how they brighten my day! So, please, please keep them coming. The questions and thoughts are my favorites!

* * *

"Good morning Mr. Darcy. I am glad you are here a few minutes early as I have a very special case that I need you to work on this morning." Professor Gilpin addressed his young pupil.

This was just about the last thing Darcy wanted to hear this morning. He had arrived a few minutes early with the goal of speaking with the professor to secure a pass on this morning's session. He had some ideas about what to do with Georgie's trust fund and he didn't really have the time to be distracted. "Professor, I was hoping actually, that I could find another time to make up this session. I have an urgent family issue that I really must tend to." William Darcy started.

"Is someone ill or injured in your family Mr. Darcy?" the Professor asked with concern.

"Oh, no. Nothing like that, I just need some time to resolve an issue that has arisen in my family." Darcy quickly responded.

"Well, of course, it's your choice, Mr. Darcy. I understand family emergencies arise, however you did make a commitment to me at the start of the semester and I was counting on you for this morning. I expect you to use your judgment now as only you can assess whether your personal issue is more important than the commitment you made." the Professor answered.

If there is one way to compel Fitzwilliam Darcy it is to make a call on duty and commitment. With the professor's final statement he knew he would be spending the morning at the law clinic today. "Of course, Professor. It sounds as if there is an important issue that you'd like me to work on. " William conceded.

"Thank you Mr. Darcy. Yes. There is a legal situation that I'd like you to take on. As you are aware, the policies and laws that have been developed around immigration are of great interest to me. A woman will be coming to the clinic this morning who has recently discovered she has overstayed her visa by approximately 20 years. You are tasked with providing her legal counsel that will hopefully result with a regularization of her immigration status and an ability to legally work in the United States. We need to accomplish this without jeopardizing her or her family members in the US. Do you understand?" Professor Gilpin asked.

"Yes, I believe so, although I do have one question. You mentioned that she has overstayed by 20 years and this has been only recently discovered?" William asked.

"Yes, that's my understanding. We will want to discuss this with her but I'm not sure it will be relevant to the law or the policies currently in force by the US Border Control Agency and the INS," the professor shared.

Darcy was frustrated. He had a real crisis and yet he had committed himself to stay here and help some idiot who had only just figured out that she was here illegally. If he'd known this was the issue earlier there is no way he would have prioritized helping this woman over a real issue that was going to impact his baby sister in a meaningful way. Darcy shrugged his shoulders and sighed, well better to get it over with and move on. He heard his friend Bingley in the waiting room and decided to step out and say hello. It was rare that he saw his friend these days separate from Jane Bennet or away from class and he might as well greet his friend.

Walking into the waiting room he saw Charles speaking to Elizabeth - Jane's roommate. As usual, whenever he saw her he became consumed with her presence. She looked tired and a little pale. He began to wonder if she was ill. Her long curly brown locks were pulled away from her face. She wasn't wearing her standard class uniform of jeans and a sweater. She was a little more dressed up with a green dress, black leggings and black boots. A black belt drew attention to her very slim waist. The color of her dress seemed to bring out the green flecks in her eyes. He had never noticed them before. He had just realized he was staring at her and was about to turn back into the consultation rooms when Charles spotted him. "Hey ho, Darcy. How are you my friend?" Charles called out.

William turned and walked over to Charles and Elizabeth. "Hello Charles, Elizabeth." he responded.

"Good morning William. Um, if you could excuse me, I need to check on something so I'll leave you two to catch up." Elizabeth responded.

Elizabeth was worried. She hadn't expected to encounter anyone she knew at the free legal clinic. It figures that the only two law students she knew volunteered here. Well, she was here to see a student of a Professor Gilpin's. Here's hoping it's no one she knows.

"Will, I thought you were going to get out of volunteering this morning." Charles joked.

"Well, I made a commitment to our esteemed professor and he wouldn't let me out of it. I'm so frustrated. Turns out that only after I told him I would stay he informed me it was to help some stupid woman who is in the country illegally and needs help to stay. I've very little interest in taking my 'free time' to help idiots who can't abide by the laws of this country. How does one accidentally overstay their visa by 20 years!? I mean seriously. This woman probably barely even speaks English and I have to figure out how to keep her in the country and able to work. She deserves to be kicked out." Darcy vented.

"Wow Darce, that sounds tough. Well good luck. I hope that you can resolve it quickly." Charles sympathized. "I just finished up and am going to head out. Give me a call later? Maybe we can grab a bite this evening."

"Yea, will do." Darcy said and turned back towards the side door leading to the consultation rooms. Maybe he could do a quick scan of the immigration laws before this woman arrived.

Lizzy stilled. Could William Darcy be the person who was supposed to help her? Oh, great. This was definitely a bad idea. Who knew he could be such a judgmental jerk? She needed to leave and find a different option to resolve this. There was no way she was going to open herself up to his scorn. Who did he think he was, judging her like that! He didn't even know her and yet had already made all kinds of assumptions about her.

"Miss Benetez?" she looked up and saw an elderly gentleman calling her name. He started to walk over to her with a broad smile across his face. "Ah, you must be the bright young woman that Edward Gardiner told me all about. I am so pleased to meet you. Come with me. We'll find a solution to your challenge." Professor Gilpin said as he reached out to grasp her hands.

"I am so sorry to have wasted your time Professor Gilpin. I'm afraid I need to leave. I appreciate your willingness to provide me with advice but I don't think I will need it any longer and so I'll just leave now." Elizabeth said pulling away and trying to make her way towards the door.

Professor Gilpin had encountered many a scared and frightened client in his years in the law and Miss Benetez definitely fit this description. Something had deeply upset her and he was not about to let her leave without understanding the issue.

"Truly? This I must hear all about. Why Edward just came to see me yesterday! Well you can't leave without telling me the solution to the issue he shared with me. I am most interested in these issues. Please come back into my office and tell me all about it." The professor pressed as he pulled her towards the doors to the consultation rooms.

Lizzy was surprised by the strength of this elderly professor. She did want so very much to trust him and to share her fears and hopes. She needed help navigating the immigration laws and Professor Gardiner had told her there was no one better, but... she just couldn't help replaying Will Darcy's words in her mind.

"Professor, is there anyway that I could simply share this with you - and no one else?" Lizzy asked.

"Oh my dear, we are an educational institution. We only meet our mission if we use the experiences of our diverse community to educate our aspiring lawyers. No, I must insist. My best pupil is waiting in the back and I insist you share your story with both of us. Now come along." Professor Gilpin insisted.

Somehow, Lizzy found herself in a small conference room. There was a table in the middle of the room, two metal chairs on each side of the table. The windowless room had a framed print of the US Constitution haphazardly hung in the middle of the opposite wall. The room was otherwise empty.

"Now, Mr. Darcy. As I shared with you earlier, this young lady has had some recent concerns around immigration. She may have found a solution and she is going to share with us what she has learned. Please proceed Miss Benetez." Professor Gilpin introduced.

Elizabeth looked up and blushed, a brilliant red covered her face from top to bottom extending down her neck and towards her chest. William looked at her open mouthed, staring. He couldn't imagine any reason why Elizabeth was sitting across from him in this room with his professor. He was supposed to be meeting with some woman who had a visa issue. What was Lizzy doing here?

"Uh, uh, hi Will." Lizzy began. Her eyes riveted to the table.

"Oh, you know one another. Now I begin to understand." The professor murmured. "Well, we adhere to the rules governing attorney-client privilege. Mr. Darcy and I will keep anything you share with us in confidence and it will be protected. No one can compel us to give evidence against you and I have already committed to Edward that we would help you. It may be helpful Ms. Benetez for you to have the aid of someone who is familiar with you and all of your many contributions to our community. This will be a difficult road you'll be travelling and having a friendly face to support you along the way will be important." Professor Gilpin offered.

William Darcy simply stared. He could not process the information he had been given previously with the reality of Elizabeth Benetez. It was starting to fall into place. When he had seen her on the T last Saturday evening she had been so very upset. This must be a part of the story. He needed to say something but as usual, in her presence, his mind went blank. What could he say? Before he could think further he began speaking.

"Lizzy, I mean, Miss Benetez. The professor is correct. Everything you say to either of us is protected." Looking into her eyes William offered, "I promise, I will hold anything you say in strict confidence and will do all I can to help you."

Lizzy looked down at the table again. "Thank you," she whispered. To be honest, she wasn't sure what to think. Only ten minutes ago, she'd heard him say the cruelest things about her situation and now she needed to trust him? Could she really do that? "I deeply apologize Professor Gilpin. This is very hard for me to share and not everyone is understanding of the issues of immigrants." Lizzy's eyes flicked up towards Will as she said these words.

The professor was no fool and understood there was some history between Elizabeth Benetez and Fitzwilliam Darcy and it was not all positive. This was an important lesson for the young Darcy to learn. Having been a professor to both his father and his uncle, he was going to ensure this young man learned to be open to all who crossed his path and to not prejudge a situation. Miss Benetez could be a catalyst to helping break down prejudice for someone who had the potential to have great influence in the future. Professor Gilpin was going to fully seize on this opportunity.

"Miss Benetez, it is important in our work to understand multiple perspectives in order to find informed solutions to problems. Your story is important to me. I too am an immigrant and understand the challenges. America has made it more difficult to immigrate since I arrived but I am committed to you and your story. Please allow us to aid you, as others aided me and my mother when we first came to this country." Professor Gilpin offered.

With a promise of confidentiality, and trust in Professor Gilpin, if not necessarily Darcy, Elizabeth began her story - or at least what she knew thus far. It didn't take her long to cover the critical facts along with what she had learned through her feverish online research. As she spoke, the Professor nodded along and asked the occasional clarifying question. Will took some notes and in general was quiet and reserved. Lizzy had no idea what he was thinking. Nothing new there. When she shared all that she thought was relevant she paused and looked to the Professor.

"Alright. Thank you Miss Benetez for sharing this with us. A few quick words of advice. Please stay in touch with us. I believe that Professor Gardiner gave you my contact information as well as the contact info for the clinic. Do not, and I repeat, do not leave the country. Leaving would make it almost impossible to resolve your immigration issue in a favorable manner. Moreover, I would encourage you to not work or visit your parents during this time period. I realize that Thanksgiving and Christmas are approaching but you are all at risk. You have remained safe thus far but you are safer if you are separated. Moreover, do not attempt to work. I know you have limited your work to your parent's restaurant and have reported wages under a tax id but I do not think it is in your best interest to engage in any work. Focus on your studies. Keep your grades up. William will begin research and we should meet again next Tuesday to update you on our research. Is this clear?" Professor Gilpin asked.

Elizabeth sighed, "Yes, professor, perfectly clear. Thank you for listening most closely. It will be hard to be apart from my family, especially with the holidays quickly approaching. We're very close but I understand your instructions. I will do my best to keep my family safe." She spoke with a resolve she didn't know she had. If this was necessary to keep her parents safe and to help herself she would. Perhaps she could spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Jane or Charlotte if she couldn't go home.

William looked at Lizzy with a whole new perspective. He had always been drawn to her light. When she walked into a room the whole space became brighter, everything seemed to be possible, and her laughter could raise any spirit. Ever since Saturday night however, she seemed lost and so very alone. He committed himself right then that he would do anything to return her spark, her glow. How terrible to be cut off from one's family. To be told it was dangerous to spend time with your own family. He had often thought he was alone. But Will still had Georgie. He still had his cousin Richard and his aunts and uncle. He wasn't alone like Lizzy.


	12. Disillusionment

A/N: Ok, So it is still Wednesday so I am not too late…although I did plan to post much earlier. I'm heading out on vacation so I'm going to give you two chapters today to tide you over a bi

**Disclaimer: I am trying to give some context for the story with the chapter below but this is not intended to be a true educational platform for immigration or any particular policy. That said, I should give credit to my sources including the websites for the DNC, RNC and Tea Party for information on their platforms. I also used Wikipedia extensively, NPR, and for my research here. Of course, this may be fraught with mistakes so don't take my numbers as anything more than a sense for what is readily available to any person surfing this information on the web. And of course, things keep happening so just remember, this is fiction!**

The past week had been an unusual one for Fitzwilliam Darcy and he was well and truly stumped. He had left the law clinic Thursday morning carrying with him images of Lizzy's deep brown eyes so full of sadness and fear. All day long, her drawn face, so different from the vivacity he had seen bursting from her the first night he had met her, flashed through his mind. Even his worries about Georgie could not overwhelm the concern he was feeling for Elizabeth.

He had learned a long time ago that life wasn't fair. If it was, his parents would still be alive and his sister wouldn't have found herself at the mercy of a manipulative man whose actions now caused her to question her every thought and decision. What was really frustrating him was that, in the span of a few days, he had been confronted with two life-altering problems, created by well-intentioned family, that would materially harm two beautiful young women. What was worse? The law, which he had faithfully studied, provided only barriers to resolution. William had always known that the law wasn't perfect. But this was the first time in his life he couldn't get the law to work for him.

After years of what might be called idol worship, Darcy was also discomforted by the frustration and anger he felt towards his father. It felt as though George Darcy was reaching back from the grave to direct his life, and he realized that he had grown beyond that kind of guidance. He had never met Lizzy's parents, but the decisions they had made 20 years ago had actually placed her in danger and his hours of research today revealed few if any options for her situation either. Well, in fact, there was one option that appeared to solve both problems: marriage. But that was ridiculous. He knew no one he wanted to marry and he was pretty sure Lizzy didn't know anyone she'd want to marry either. He had seen no evidence of a boyfriend in her life. He'd have to find that out. In any case, there needed to be some other path- he just hadn't found it yet. These thoughts were swirling around in his mind when he found himself on the steps of his uncle's Beacon Hill office Friday after his morning classes.

"Hi Clare, is my uncle around?" Darcy asked as he began to remove his hat and gloves.

"Good afternoon Mr. Darcy. He's in his office, returning some phone calls right now. Let me poke my head in and see if he can take a break. He hasn't eaten anything so maybe you can convince him to go grab lunch." Clare knocked twice on his door and opened it. Darcy watched as she slipped a note in front of his uncle. Henry Fitzwilliam twirled around in his chair, looked through the open door and waved at his nephew to come in.

As Clare slipped out of the office and passed William she whispered, "Remember, get him to go grab lunch."

"I'll do my best to pry him out of here," William responded in similar tones before closing the door behind him. He watched and listened as his uncle finished up his call, rubbing his hands over his face as he always did when he was frustrated.

Placing the phone down on the receiver and removing his headset, Henry smiled over at his nephew. "Well, you're a welcome surprise. If I'd stayed on that call much longer I was well on my way to seeing the rest of my hair turn gray. I'm glad I had a reason to hang up."

"Well, I'm glad my visit has already been helpful, because I need your help." William responded. "I understand you haven't eaten lunch yet and Clare gave me orders to get you out of here for a little bit. Do you have time to let me pick your brain while we grab a bite?"

"I'd love a break. Let's head over to Beacon Hill Bistro. They have this fantastic chicken BLT sandwich that would hit the spot." Walking out of his office, Henry Fitzwilliam headed towards the closet to grab his coat and hat. "Clare, my nephew accomplished your goal. We're heading over to the Bistro and will be back in an hour of so."

"Perfect. Enjoy your lunch gentlemen." Clare responded.

As they walked out the door, William began, "Uncle, do you remember a Professor Gilpin from your law school days?"

"Of course. Is he still alive? Well, I guess he is but, he must be nearing 80! He gave your dad and me a run for our money. He always seemed to know when we'd gone out for beers rather than prep our cases." Henry chuckled.

"Yes, and he hasn't changed. I'm actually working on a project for him right now that I'd like your thoughts on."

"Is he still focused on immigration law?" the Senator asked.

"Yes, and he's having me help out on a specific immigration case. Our immigration laws seem to be a complete mess. I was trying to understand the various policies and positions of our government on immigration right now and perhaps, when and if they might change."

"Well it's a nettlesome problem and incredibly frustrating to work on. There's some very strong opinions and emotions running through this country on immigration policy. Nothing significant has been passed on this topic since the 60's. In the 80's and in 1990 there were some revisions, mostly increasing the number of visa's, and dealing a bit with border security, enforcement and illegal immigrants but nothing truly comprehensive. And Obama has granted some temporary amnesty on deportations of kids. What are you focused on? There's a bunch of pieces to this - border control, skilled worker visas, what to do with illegals, and more."

The two men arrived at the Bistro and were relieved to see that there were a few tables available. "Good afternoon Senator. It's wonderful to see you again. Do you have a preference as to where you'd like to sit?"

"Afternoon Laura. I'd prefer something away from the windows if possible. My nephew and I would love a little privacy to the extent possible." Henry responded.

"Of course gentlemen, the table in the corner is available." The hostess responded. "Do you gentlemen also know what you'd like for lunch today? I can put the order in and then we won't have to disturb your discussion."

William quickly perused the menu while his uncle put in his order.

"Alright. We'll have your drinks out shortly." Laura said with a smile and headed off to the kitchen with their orders.

"Now where were we?" His uncle asked.

***************** Please note that the next section is my reading of the information I found on various websites listed in the A/N above *************************

"So the issue I am focused on has to do with illegal immigration. In particular, overstaying a visa."

"Well, that one is a little easier. Our policies are completely unforgiving for people who enter this country illegally. At least if you enter the country legally, you're viewed as having gone through our security checks so you're less a 'risk to the rest of us.'"

"Can you give me a little context for what is happening in DC?" William asked.

"Well, nothing has actually happened in over a decade. You see most of my colleagues want to do something about immigration. The issue for a lot of us is around getting people into the system, participating, paying taxes, reporting crimes, making it easy for people with specialized skills to get to the US. Many see it primarily as a growth issue. Others see it primarily as a security issue: secure the border, protect jobs for the American's who are here legally, etc. Then, there is a lot of gray in the middle. When you speak with most people about immigration, there is not a lot of understanding about how our policy has evolved and they are scared of the implications of changing the rules." The Senator started.

"Can you give me a sense of who gets visas and who doesn't? How do we decide who can come and stay and who can't, aside from the obvious security risks." William asked.

"Well, there are two basic principles that overwhelmingly guide our immigration system: connect families and bring in labor talent where we need it. That pretty much uses up all of the visas and green cards we can legally issue. We give out 480,000 visas a year for family-based immigration. On the labor talent side it's a barbell. We have migrant farm workers and highly educated scientists and similarly highly desirable talent. My recollection is we give out 140,000 visas a year for employment-based talent and we basically give them all out in one day each year. Then we go another 364 days until the next round of H1-B visas come available. There are other kinds of shorter-term visas, mostly for education."

"How about green cards? Where do we stand there?" William asked.

"You might be surprised to know that we actually give out about a million green cards a year. That said, the queue for green cards is incredibly long for some categories and are pretty much spoken for by people who have existing family members in the US or those long-term visa holders that represent exceptional talent. Meanwhile we have an estimated 11mm or so people working and living in the US who are here in an undocumented basis and the number simply keeps growing." Uncle Henry offered.

"Do you think it will change in any way soon?" William asked.

"We thought we were getting somewhere in 2013 when we passed a bill in the Senate but then, Republicans got scared. If you check out the platforms for the various parties, the Democrats and the Tea Party have each articulated their positions. Republicans don't really have any current position statements on immigration reform on their party website. We really have been at a standstill for some time now. No one wants to be the politician that let in the person who took a job or became a terrorist. Bottom line is that even though the Senate has passed a bi-partisan bill that is pretty reasonable and tackles both security and visas, there is not enough momentum to get it passed through the House at this point. The key to most bills for illegal immigrants is to have them earn citizenship. The current proposals are centered on two years of college or two years of military service before applying for a green card. That said, increasing the number of visas for talented workers and finding a path for legalization for illegal immigrants isn't likely to get passed for some time so I wouldn't hold my breath." The Senator finished speaking shaking his head.

"That's what I figured from my reading but I wanted to double-check. " William sighed. "The one loophole I keep coming back to is family. That seems to be the way around the system, so to speak. If you have an immediate relative to sponsor you, you can at least, queue up in line." William said.

"Yup, you're right. That principle was established in the 60's and we have held fast to it ever since. Does your client have any immediate relatives who are citizens?" Henry asked.

"Younger siblings, the oldest of which will soon be 18 but my reading suggests you need to be 21 to sponsor someone." William sighed.

"That sounds about right." Henry answered. "So, what's your plan?"

"I don't have one yet. Maybe a student visa, just so she doesn't get kicked out of the country. It doesn't solve the long-term problem but it buys some time." William stated.

"Well, good luck. This young lady is fortunate to have you on her side." Henry smiled.

The two men finished up lunch and headed back to Henry Fitzwilliam's office. From there William headed back to campus to put his thoughts in order before his meeting on Tuesday with Professor Gilpin and Elizabeth.

Comments Please...They make me so very happy and actually do influence the writing of the story as this is a WIP. I've actually changed things based on your comments!


	13. Gaining Support

Per Professor Gilpin's recommendation Lizzy had not gone home over the weekend and had not worked. She used the free time to take two long runs and to catch up on work she had neglected earlier in the week when she was so distraught. She had thought a lot about William and his comments the prior week while running. She still was angry and wished she had said something at the time. It was an uncomfortable feeling to be so uncertain about her family, her life, and where she belonged. It reminded her of when she first came to Harvard and how she felt like she didn't belong with all of her classmates. The next time she saw William Darcy, she needed to confront him. She could not go forward, accepting his help, if she didn't trust him. Trust was paramount to her and her circle of trust was incredibly small right now. Whether he was going to be included in that circle remained open to debate. These thoughts were swirling around in her mind when Professor Gardiner stopped by the Crimson newsroom Saturday afternoon.

"Lizzy, I'm glad I found you here. I thought perhaps you might not have gone home this weekend. Maddy and I were hoping you might join us and the kids for dinner at our house this evening."

The Gardiner's had become like second parents to Lizzy after she had spent her freshman year helping out with their kids during some of the school holidays.

"I would love to. I have a few things to finish up here. What time should I come by?" Lizzy asked.

"Let's say 5:30. Does that work?" Ed asked.

"Sure. That should give me enough time to finish editing this article. I will see you then." Lizzy smiled.

Walking up to the clapboard home north of Harvard Square, Lizzy hadn't even rang the doorbell when the door burst open. "Princess Avery, how lovely to be greeted by such a gracious hostess," Lizzy said to the lovely four-year-old girl dressed head-to-toe in her finest Disney Princess costume. Avery giggled and then wrapped her arms around her favorite babysitter Lizzy. Scooping up the little girl, Lizzy headed into the Gardiner's kitchen where they were finishing up the preparations. Over dinner, Lizzy updated Professor Gardiner and his wife Maddy on what she had discussed with Professor Gilpin and William. After they had all eaten dinner she pushed them out the door to spend an evening out while she watched their adorable children. Elizabeth Benetez was not an idle person and having free time, now that she couldn't work and couldn't afford to go out, was making her a little stir crazy. She needed to do something useful and there was no better way to get her mind off of her troubles than to build forts with the Gardiner boys and transform their two little girls into princesses. After tucking all four children into their sleeping bags under the massive fort/castle they had built in the playroom, Lizzy went downstairs to sit on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and a book. She must have nodded off to sleep before the Gardiner's returned home.

Madeline and Edward Gardiner came home to a quiet house. Walking into the family room they found Lizzy curled up on the couch sound asleep. "Ed, why don't you go upstairs and set up the guest room for Lizzy. I'll wake her up and convince her to stay the night." Ed nodded his head and quietly climbed the steps to check in on their sleeping children and prepare the guest room.

"Lizzy?" Madeline gently shook her shoulder trying to wake her.

"What? Oh! I must have fallen asleep reading. I'm so sorry Maddy." Lizzy said as she jumped awake.

Maddy looked down at Lizzy with a smile. "Don't be ridiculous. The house was blissfully quiet and peaceful when we walked in. Ed is upstairs getting the guest room ready. I'm going to grab something for you to sleep in and I will leave it on the bed while you wash up."

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes Lizzy began to protest, "Maddy, you don't need to go to so much trouble. I'm just going to splash some water on my face and then I'll get going."

Lizzy, stop being ridiculous. There is no way that we are letting you walk back at this hour and frankly, Ed and I are too tired to go back out. Please come upstairs. It's really no trouble at all." Maddy insisted.

Realizing that she was likely not going to win this debate, Lizzy agreed to the plan and ten minutes later, gratefully sank into the waiting bed.

In the morning, an exuberant Isabelle woke up Lizzy by attempting to cuddle, although cuddling may have been confused with jumping on the bed if you asked anyone above the age of five. She loved having her big playmate over for a sleepover and her only disappointment was that Lizzy hadn't slept in the castle with them. Dragging herself out of bed, Lizzy was pulled along to the kitchen where Maddy and Edward Gardiner were busy making pancakes and serving up juice. Lizzy begged a cup of coffee which was quickly handed over. After breakfast was served, Maddy asked Lizzy to take a walk with her.

"Lizzy, thank you again for watching the kids last night. They love having you over so we never feel guilty leaving them when you stay. Are you sure we can't pay you in something more than dinner and breakfast this morning?" Maddy asked.

"I had a wonderful time Maddy. I love your children and it was certainly much better than anything else I had planned for last night. Thanks for inviting me over. And, please call anytime. I have a feeling I will have a lot of free time coming up." She sighed. They walked in silence for a few moments when Lizzy started to speak again, "Actually, now that I think about it, why don't you email me. I am going to be shutting off my phone as I can't afford it any longer. I'm glad I have some money saved up but I will need to be extremely cautious with it from now on." Each day the implications of what she had learned from her father just one week ago seemed to only expand. She started to lose herself in her thoughts again when Maddy's voice broke through her haze.

"Lizzy, please do not despair. You are not in this alone. Edward and I will do everything we can to help you. It's not your fault you are in this bind. If you need help, a loan, a place to stay, please call on us. You've become like another daughter to us and we will stand by you." Maddy encouraged.

"Thanks Maddy." Lizzy said. "The past week has been overwhelming. I still haven't spoken to my family since I stormed out of my house last Saturday night. Professor Gilpin has suggested I stay away but I feel as though I need to have another conversation with them. A more rational one than I was capable of last week."

"What do you want to say or do when you see them?" Maddy asked gently.

"I have so many questions. I want to know if we have family in Mexico. If so, do they know about our life in Massachusetts? Why did they let me believe in a lie all these years? What is their plan if they get caught? What plans have they put in place for my sisters, who are US citizens? Do I have any valid identification that could be useful in this process? The list goes on and on." Lizzy sighed again. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Those are all good questions and you should speak with Professor Gilpin about all of these things. He may have other questions for you to ask. When do you go to the law clinic again?" Maddy asked.

"Tuesday morning. It can't come soon enough." Lizzy responded.

"Alright. Well, please keep us posted." Maddy requested.

" I will. I promise." Lizzy answered.

"So, can we give you a lift back to Pfo-Ho?" Maddy asked as they headed back towards the house.

"That would be great. I should probably do some homework and then possibly squeeze in a run. At least I can still afford that." Lizzy joked.

"Let me grab my keys while you grab your things. We can meet at my car." Maddy said and they parted ways on entering the house.

Lizzy found herself waiting by the car for a few minutes while Maddy was chatting with Edward. "Everything ok?" Lizzy asked as Maddy finally approached.

"Yes. I just wanted to check with Ed on something. Actually, it was about something you said earlier. We'd like you to keep your cell phone. It's not safe for a young woman on campus to be without a phone and, with everything you have going on, we'd feel better if you could reach us or we could reach you in an emergency. I understand you are trying to cut corners but like I said, we will help you out and it would make us feel better if we knew we could reach you." Maddy urged.

"I appreciate your concern but I'm not confident when or if I will be in a position to pay you back if you were to loan me any money." Lizzy answered.

"Lizzy, I appreciate how stubborn you are and I'd say we would just give you the money if we didn't already know you reject our gift. Let's call it a loan and we can work out the details later. Ok?" Maddy pressed.

Lizzy sighed. She knew she'd need to rely on people like Maddy and Ed, she just didn't like it. "Alright, IF I find that I need a loan I'll let you know. Thank you. I know you want to help. I'm just not very good at accepting it."

Madeline laughed. "Well that's a true statement if I have ever heard one. I consider my mission accomplished at any rate. And just in time as we are pulling up to the quad." Maddy watched as Lizzy grabbed her backpack and headed towards her house. She was so strong and independent and Maddy was beginning to understand how very hard this must be on her. She hoped for a solution soon.

Comments Please...They make me so very happy and actually do influence the writing of the story as this is a WIP. I've actually changed things based on your comments!


	14. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

A/N: Hi there! Back from an awesome vacation and while I didn't get as much writing done as I had hoped I did make some progress. Here's the latest installment. Please, please, please tell me what you think. Of course, if it sounds like JA then it likely is. I've started slipping in some Jane - ism's just for fun and because she was awesome! :)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

It was finally Tuesday and Lizzy was feeling anxious as she walked into the free legal clinic for the second time in five days. She'd felt a bit better now that there were people helping her but she still wasn't confident they'd find a solution for her. As Maddy had suggested, she wrote down the questions she had for her parents and thought she might discuss them with Professor Gilpin. She wanted to visit her parents to get some answers and to possibly, get some closure from the bad feelings she knew remained from her departure the prior Saturday. Perhaps the two men would have additional questions to add to her list, she thought.

The legal clinic was just as busy as it had been when she had come the previous week. Looking around Lizzy recognized the nervous and stressed out looks she saw on the faces of her fellow visitors to the clinic. Her mirror had shown her the same expression on her face for the past week and a half. Lizzy checked in for her appointment and was immediately ushered to the same windowless room she had sat in five days earlier. It was ironic, she thought, that a class system even persisted at the free clinic. As a Harvard college student with some connections she was ushered in right away. Meanwhile, the others sitting in chairs around the reception room, looked as though they were prepared for a long wait. Entering the room, Professor Gilpin and William were both already sitting in the room waiting.

"Good morning Miss Benetez. I'm glad to see you have returned to us. William has been doing research and we met earlier today to review it. He'll walk through what he's learned thus far and then we'll discuss next steps."

Over the next hour, William walked through the various legislation, court rulings and current policies. All of these boiled down to a few basic options: she could marry an American and, if they stayed married for about three and a half years, she'd likely be successful in getting a permanent green card or, she could hide until her sister Maria was 21. At that point, Maria could sponsor her and their parents for green cards, although her chances for a green card were lower than her parents given the way the priority system currently worked. There was some potential for a student visa as well, given her academic standing, but there was risk of denial and then she would be forced from the country. She'd also have to leave the country as soon as she graduated. She was too old to be adopted by people like the Gardiners, and given that her parents were still living, there'd be no real claim for them anyway. Any other options were pure speculation and literally, dependent upon an act of Congress or the President of the United States.

"Miss Benetez, I recognize that the options seem limited. I'd like to have some conversations with colleagues within the University who've worked with students on visa applications to see what advice they might offer. A student visa is likely your best avenue and I want to make sure we understand the hurdles we might face and the risks to this path." Professor Gilpin offered.

Lizzy sighed. She knew this was going to be hard and yet each time she got new information the futility of it all would momentarily overwhelm her. Darcy watched her closely. He had an overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and reassure her but knew that would be entirely unwelcome. So he simply reached out across the table and put his hand on hers. "Lizzy, you're not alone. We'll do all we can to help you." William said quietly.

Lizzy looked up, startled and moved to pull her hand away. Standing, Lizzy looked at Professor Gilpin and murmured, "Excuse me. I think I need some air." Walking out of the room Lizzy closed the door and leaned against the wall breathing deeply. 'What was that about?' she wondered.

William sat startled, not quite sure what to do. He looked over at his professor and shrugged.

"Do you really not know why Ms. Benetez left the room William?" Professor Gilpin asked. "There has been some reluctance on the part of our client towards you all along. If you've done anything to cause her to question her trust in this team, I suggest you attempt to repair it so we can be the most help to our client." The professor added.

William nodded and stood up. "Excuse me professor. I'll try to find her and, um, clear up any misunderstandings."

He opened the door and immediately found her standing in the hallway leaning against the wall. "Miss Benetez, Lizzy, the room across the hall appears open. Can I speak with you for a moment?" William asked.

Lizzy silently followed William into a room that seemed identical to the one they had just been sitting in. She sat down with her arms and legs crossed and waited for William to speak.

"Um, Lizzy? I, uh, I meant what I said before, I will do everything in my power to help you." William offered.

"Really? And are you saying this to impress your professor or do you really mean it?" Lizzy shot back.

William was surprised by the vehemence in her voice. He had spent hours researching her options, had met with his uncle, a US Senator, to discuss this case. Why would she think he didn't mean it? "Look, I didn't force you to come into this clinic and I've spent hours working on your problems when I have my own to spend time on. There is nothing in it for me here. What could possibly make you think I don't want to help you?" William retorted.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe the stupid immigrant who can't figure out how to follow the laws of this country is questioning her lawyer's motivations." Lizzy spat.

William looked dumbfounded. 'What was she talking about?' he wondered.

Seeing the look of confusion on his face, Lizzy added, "You can't complain to Charlie one minute and then act kind and compassionate the next and expect me to be fooled about how you really feel. Just don't pretend to be kind and caring. I have enough people in my life who haven't been honest with me. I don't need another one."

William was about to respond but then stopped. Sitting there open-mouthed he tried to process all that she said. 'Charlie? What was she talking about?' he wondered. And then it hit him. She had heard him complaining to Charlie Thursday morning. He groaned as the realization fully sank in.

"Lizzy, I am so, so sorry for my thoughtless remarks. You have every reason in the world to be angry with me. Please, believe me. I didn't mean those words. That morning, I was frustrated about something that is happening in my family and was thoughtlessly venting to a friend. I'm sorry." William responded his shoulders slumped.

Lizzy looked over at William. He looked positively despondent. The sadness in his eyes and slumped shoulders made her think of a puppy who'd just been caught having chewed his master's favorite slippers. Sighing, she placed her hand on his arm. "I accept your apology. I was shocked when I heard you say those things. I had thought you were pretty nice when we first met. Look, let's just forget about it. To be honest, I need all of the help I can get."

"Thank you. I really didn't mean any of those words. I'm dealing with some stuff regarding my sister and I was in a terrible mood Thursday morning." William added.

"Enough apologies. A wise woman once said, 'Think of the past as it gives you pleasure.' I suggest you follow that advice." Lizzy smiled.

"If only it was so easy. Any other words of wisdom for me before we return to Professor Gilpin?" William asked.

"Sure. One more thing, to prevent future issues. My kindergarten teacher taught me this one, 'If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all.'" Lizzy teased.

"Point taken, Miss Benetez." William said and they stood up to return to the room where Professor Gilpin was waiting.

"My apologies Professor for keeping you waiting," Lizzy said as they returned to the room.

"Well, I hope any issues have been smoothed over so we can continue." the Professor responded.

"Yes, sir. They have been." William assured him.

Taking one more deep breath Lizzy squared her shoulders and began to refocus on moving forward. "Alright. I had a few other things I wanted to discuss while I was here, if that's ok." The two men nodded in agreement and Lizzy pulled out three sheets of paper, one for each of them, filled with the questions she wanted to ask her parents.

"Professor, you said that I am safest if I don't stay with my family. I think however, that I do need to go see them. I've compiled these questions and I think it would be helpful for me to see them, not only for my peace of mind, but also to get whatever documentation my parents might have that shows I originally entered the country legally. That seems to be an important point in all of this." Lizzy suggested.

"You are correct Miss Benetez. I've been thinking about this as well. These are excellent questions and if you can get the answers, the process may be easier. There is one more reason you should go see them that we haven't discussed." Professor Gilpin said.

"What is that?" Lizzy asked.

"Well, have you considered the implication for your family when we start to change your status?" the professor asked.

"What do you mean? What implications?" she asked.

"If you self identify as being here illegally, it will not take long for the INS to realize that your parents are still here in the country and they will likely go looking for them. They won't be hard to find given you've always completed your paperwork honestly. A subpoena to Boston Latin or Harvard would quickly give them your home address and therein find your family." Professor Gilpin calmly stated.

Why hadn't she considered this? She couldn't do that to her parents and sisters. No, she could not risk them. "I'm sorry that I have wasted all of your time. I can't do that to them." She stood to leave.

"Lizzy, wait. Don't go. Please sit for another minute." William said, reaching out to grab her arm. She paused and sat down again. "Look I can only imagine how hard this is but you must consider that your parent's have likely known they could potentially be discovered all these years. I think you should talk to them before you make any decisions."

"Miss Benetez. Not doing anything may feel safer but the risk for them and for you remains. And what will you do until your sister turns 21? You need to talk with your parents about this situation. Only then can you make a decision." Professor Gilpin offered.

She was processing these thoughts when William made an offer that surprised her. "Lizzy, I think I should accompany you to your family home. It will be a difficult meeting, and it might be helpful to have someone there who can listen without, um, without emotion."

"Why? Why would you want to come?" Lizzy asked, a bit dumbfounded by the idea of William Darcy sitting in her family's apartment above their restaurant. No one from her life at Harvard had ever been to her home and the wealthy Mr. Darcy was the most unlikely person she could see taking there.

"Miss Benetez, there is some merit to Mr. Darcy's offer to accompany you. It will likely be challenging as the child to question your parents. Also, William might think of questions that should be asked when you are on the spot that we haven't thought of. It would be good to have a second pair of ears to hear the answers your parents give as to your crossing, and current status. I think it's a very good idea." Professor Gilpin added.

"I'll need to think about that Professor Gilpin. Thank you for your offer William." Lizzy said quietly. With this, she stood up to walk out of the room. She then realized that she didn't know if their meeting was done and turned back. "I'm sorry but are we done? I think I need to go. I'm feeling a bit drained. Thank you again for everything." She turned quickly to exit the clinic. She wanted to get away as quickly as she could. She wanted to get away from everyone and everything.

William watched her leave, feeling terrible and not really understanding why or how to feel better. It was how he often felt after spending time with Georgiana and it felt awful. He had done his best and yet there was no resolution.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Comments, please! They make my day :)


	15. Home Is Where

A/N: Hi there! Coming back from vacation has been sooooo rough. RL can really bring you down...work ugh, and I marked the 20-year anniversary of my own mother's passing yesterday. It's been a little rough and diving back into this story has been my reprieve. Two glasses of wine and writing last night helped me through. I am working hard on the next chapter but it has truly vexed me! I hope to post it this weekend - if I can work out the storyline to all of your expectations. I've re-written it a few times and am getting close. I love your questions. I have so enjoyed emailing with people from Italy, the US and who knows where else! That part is so very cool to me. Please write me. (Comments or PMs) I love it and it helps me with the writing... so now onto ODC and JP.

My Spanish is pretty weak so I have relied on google translate to help me here. I do think it would be inauthentic if Lizzy didn't communicate with her parents in their native tongue but have included translations... Happy reading!

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Lizzy spent the rest of Tuesday pondering whether it made sense for William Darcy to join her when she went to see her parents. She was very uncomfortable with the idea but also recognized the wisdom of the advice Professor Gilpin had given her. The idea of questioning her parents made her uncomfortable and William had a presence that might keep her papa from trying to use humor to avoid her questions as he was inclined to do. Picking up her phone she flicked through her contacts to locate William's details.

_EB: Can you join me for a ride to JP on Thursday afternoon?_

William was sitting in his condo finishing up his review of a private equity fund that he was contemplating an investment in for Georgie when his phone buzzed. Scanning the text, a smile broke across his face.

_WD: Thursday works. What time?_

_EB: Meet 1:30 Holyoke Center ABP?_

_WD: Works for me. Have a good night. CU Thurs._

With that settled, Lizzy felt a small amount of relief. Every decision seemed to be hard to make and weighed her down. Tomorrow, she vowed, she would focus only on school and wouldn't worry about Thursday until it came.

It was a cold, bright day as Lizzy quickly crossed the Yard on her way to meet William Darcy. When she arrived at the Au Bon Pain she found Darcy already there, with two cups of coffee and two chocolate chip cookies in hand.

"I thought that you might like a snack for the ride." Darcy offered.

"Thanks. I think I have some cash in my backpack. Let me get it out." Lizzy said as she started to unzip her bag.

"No, please. It really isn't necessary." Darcy said. He watched her as she continued to remove her wallet from her backpack. "Seriously, please don't pay me back. It's really nothing."

"Maybe to you it's nothing but it matters to me." Lizzy responded as she pulled out three singles and started to hand them over to Darcy.

"Boy, you really are stubborn aren't you? I'm not taking your money and I can be just as stubborn." Darcy said as he picked up his coffee and cookie and started to walk towards the door.

Lizzy stared after him. She found this entire situation awkward enough and now he was making it worse. They needed to set some ground rules or else this wasn't going to work. She shoved the $3 back in her wallet, zipped up her backpack and followed Darcy, coffee in hand, out the door. "William! Will. Please stop a minute. We need to talk." Lizzy said, once he had slowed down and paused. "We need to get on the same page here. I really appreciate your help and your willingness to accompany me for this discussion with my parents. But you need to understand some things. This is really awkward for me and you buying me food just makes it worse."

William looked at her completely confused. How was she going to explain this to him?

"Look, I've always been a very independent person and I don't feel comfortable relying on others. I never have. Having others involved in my problems is very hard for me. I'm usually the one solving the problems." She looked up at him with her arms crossed and standing tall. He could believe that she hadn't relied on anyone before. This afternoon, as she confronted him, she looked strong. That was the Lizzy who had first intrigued him: eyes flashing and a look like she could conquer the world.

"It was just coffee and a cookie, but if you want, you can buy my t-pass as payback ok? Then we'll be even." She smiled up at him and he thought the world hadn't looked brighter.

"Thanks for listening. I appreciate it." Lizzy added.

They walked down to the t-station, Lizzy leading the way. "So, have you ever been to JP?" she asked.

"No actually. I have to admit that after all these years at Harvard I feel like I've existed in a little bit of a bubble. I've spent time in Beacon Hill and Back Bay, and of course Cambridge and Somerville. I'm looking forward to seeing a new neighborhood." William offered.

"Well, JP's interesting. It's changed a lot over the 20 years I've lived there. It's become quite gentrified and hip but there are some parts that have held tight to their roots. My neighborhood is a mix of Latin, Italian and Irish immigrant families with young professionals sprinkled in. It's quite different from Back Bay or Beacon Hill." Lizzy responded.

"Are you feeling ok about the conversation you need to have this afternoon?" William asked.

"To be honest, I'm more nervous about having you in JP, in my home, meeting my family, than about the conversation right now." She admitted.

It had never occurred to him that she might feel that way. "Why?"

"Well, I've never brought anyone from my Harvard life to my home. It's just that sometimes I feel like I live two completely different lives: the one on campus and the one in JP. When I get on the train, I have to transition from one to the other. Bringing someone from Harvard to my JP life is...well, its kind of scary for me. I haven't seen your condo but I've seen your car and Charlie's place. I sometimes feel like an alien at Harvard, like I don't belong. You'll see."

William sat there pondering this revelation but wasn't sure what to make of it yet. To this point, all he had seen was a teasing, bright, and beautiful young woman. He couldn't imagine what she was so worried about.

The silence was making Lizzy ponder her worries so she decided they needed some conversation. "So when I saw you on the train the other night, were you coming from some favorite restaurant or something?" she asked.

"Um, no. My aunt and uncle live near the MGH/Charles T station and I don't like to drive in that part of Boston so I generally take the T when I visit them. I'd just had dinner with them when I saw you."

"Oh, that's nice. I realize I don't really know anything about you besides that you have a sister in Maryland. Do you have a lot of family around here?" Lizzy asked, relieved to have found a neutral topic of conversation.

"Not really, I have three cousins who grew up splitting their time between DC and Boston. Two of them are living full time in the DC area now. Their sister Rachel is in college. I have another aunt and cousin living full time in Maine. That's pretty much it." William offered.

They arrived at Downtown Crossing and walked through the tunnels to change to the orange line. The mix of riders changed and the trains became a little more tightly packed. William looked around and then looked back at Lizzy. She looked a little different now. She slouched a little more and something else he couldn't make out. She almost seemed a little more defensive.

They rode in silence, William watching Lizzy while she seemed lost in her thoughts. About fifteen had minutes passed when she signaled it was their time to depart. Riding up the escalator at Jackson Square they emerged into a scene that couldn't have been more different from when they had gotten on the train in Harvard Square. Lizzy directed him to the right onto Centre Street. Passing uniform shaped brick buildings, William realized he was walking past a group of apartment buildings that comprised a large housing project. They continued walking up the street. Spanish seemed to dominate the conversations and music he heard. Young teenage girls were pushing baby carriages. Small bodegas, spanish restaurants and bakeries were intermixed with cell phone stores, beauty salons, insurance/travel agencies and a tattoo parlor. Lizzy walked with purpose up Centre Street not saying a word to her companion. The scene started to change and they came to a more diverse mix of little restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners and churches. They turned around a bend and Lizzy stopped. She stopped at a low grey building housing three businesses: a pizza place, a Spanish bakery and a Mexican restaurant. "Well here it is, my family's restaurant." Out in front, above a green awning was a brightly painted sign, green with yellow letters outlined in red paint, all in Spanish. Little white Christmas lights hung looped under the awning to give the entrance a festive look. The front of the building was covered with wide windows giving passersby an ability to get a full view inside the restaurant. Looking through the windows you could see a tidy restaurant with tables to seat 2, 4 and 8 people covered with red and green plastic tablecloths. Black chairs with red vinyl cushions surrounded the tables and a few customers remained as lunch seemed to be dying down. Taking a deep breath, Lizzy looked up at William. "Thank you for coming with me. Now, let's go around back and up to my house. It's over the restaurant."

William didn't know what he expected when he agreed to go home with Lizzy for this conversation but it certainly wasn't this. They walked up a steep set of stairs to a white door. Lizzy pulled out her keys and unlocked two bolt locks. Wood paneling covered the walls of the entryway, and Lizzy hung her coat up on some hooks next to the front door and directed William to as well. The house was quiet. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon on a weekday so Lizzy's sisters were likely still at school. He should ask her how old they were. He recalled only the age of one of them. As she walked through her home, William followed closely behind, not sure what her plan was. They probably should have discussed that in more detail.

She peeked her head into the kitchen but it was empty. William looked around the kitchen. It was clean and bright and looked like it came directly out of a 70's sitcom complete with dark wood cabinets, a white Formica countertop, and white, gold and orange vinyl tiles covering the floor. Lizzy had already moved onto the living room and William followed her in there. They could hear the television and walked into a large open room, with slightly worn dark green carpet. An oversized TV was mounted on the wall and a long gold sofa sat along one wall. As he was taking in the room he heard a screech.

"Lizzy! Así que después de asaltar de aquí hace casi dos semanas que decida honrarnos con tu presence? _(So after storming out of here almost two weeks ago you decide to grace us with your presence?_)" Franny Benetez seemed to take up a disproportionate amount of the air and space in the room.

"Buenas dias mama." Lizzy offered.

"Oh qué no Buenas dias mí. No vals aquí después de dos semanas de silencio y luego esperar para desearme un buen día y hacerse con él. (_Oh don't you buenas dias me. You don't waltz in here after two weeks of silence and then expect to wish me a good day and be done with it._)" Franny Benetez stopped short as she noticed Lizzy had someone with her. "And who do you have here with you? Finally, she brings home a man." Her mama said, looking over William with a gleam in her eye.

Lizzy blushed from head to toe and William looked to the floor. "Mama," she started. But Lizzy did not get another word out before Francesca Benetez commandeered William's arm and led him to sit down beside her on the gold sofa.

"I am so sorry that Lizzy didn't tell me she was bringing a young man by. I would've had an afternoon snack ready for you. My husband might be the chef but I make an excellent chicken and plantains. But that is the way Lizzy is, always thinking about herself. You'll have to take a strong hand with my girl here. She has a lot of potential and I am sure she would do anything to keep you happy. You just need to tell her what to do." Franny said in a rush.

"Mama. Please!" Lizzy said insistently. She looked over at William with what she hoped was an apologetic look.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Benetez. It's a pleasure to meet Elizabeth's mother. I was actually hoping to meet Mr. Benetez. Is he at home?" William said as he straightened to a stand.

"Oh, of course! TOMAS! TOMAS! Lizzy ha traído a casa un hombre y quiere hablar con tu! _(Lizzy has brought home a man and he wants to talk to you!)_" Lizzy's mama screeched through the house.

Lizzy couldn't have turned anymore red and could barely lift her eyes from the floor with embarrassment praying that William couldn't understand Spanish. Could her mother mortify her anymore than she had in the span of five minutes? She thought not. Fortunately, her papa entered at that moment.

"Franny, pare el chirrido. Los jugadores en el Fenway podían oír sus grits." ("Franny, stop your screeching. The players at Fenway could hear your yelling.") Tomas Benetez said as he entered the room. He stopped short as he looked at his daughter and then at the tall man standing next to her. "Well, who do we have here mi lucero?"

Lizzy walked over and gave her papa a kiss on the cheek. "Papa, may I introduce William Darcy. He is a friend from school and we'd like to chat if you have some time for us."

"Did you hear that Tomas? He goes to Harvard too. Oh, you finally did something right Lizzy. " Franny interjected.

"Franny, despite all these years of you yelling, I can still manage to hear. Follow me you two." Tomas said and turned down the hall.

"I'll be along with some nice coffee shortly. Lizzy you can help me while your papa gets to know William." Franny not-so-subtly ordered.

"I'm so sorry," whispered a mortified Lizzy. "I'll just go explain things to mama and meet you in papa's office shortly.

"Don't worry about it. I've seen it all before. I'll chat up your dad a bit while you help your mom." William said with a small grin.

Lizzy quickly followed Francesca Benetez into the kitchen to get coffee together while William followed Tomas Benetez into a reasonably sized room next to the living room. The room was lined with bookcases filled with Spanish language and English language titles. A desk situated by the window wall was overflowing with ledgers and a computer that looked to be at least 10 years old. A leather recliner, cracked with use and age was next to a small table with a reading lamp. Two hard wood chairs were in the corners of the room and William walked over to pull them over to a space across from the recliner. Tomas sat down in his recliner and looked over at William.

"So your arrival this afternoon has caused quite the excitement. Especially after Lizzy's departure almost two weeks ago. Are you aware of our issues?" Mr. Benetez asked?

"I'm glad to see you like to get to the heart of the matter. Yes, I'm aware of the issues you allude to." William responded. "But, I suggest that we wait for Lizzy before we start speaking of any of these matters."

"A father has his prerogative. What are your intentions towards my daughter? They must be significant if she has shared our issues with you. She is a private girl, strong willed and stubborn as a summer day is long." Tomas directed.

"Sir, I have no intentions towards your daughter. As she said, we're friends and I'm helping her as a result of my work in a legal clinic in Cambridge." William stated.

"Oh, so you think you are too good for our Lizzy do you?" Tomas sneered.

William's head was spinning. What was going on here? "With all due respect sir, I think you are jumping to conclusions which are not helping this situation."

Fortunately, at this moment Lizzy walked in carrying a coffee tray with her mama following closely behind her. "Now Lizzy, place the tray on the bookshelf. I'm so embarrassed that Lizzy doesn't know how you like your coffee. Truly, I did raise her better than that but who listens to their mama anymore. Well of course my others girls all do but never Lizzy. She has always been too good to take my advice and I bet now she wishes she had. Lizzy, watch closely as he makes his coffee so you'll know for next time." Franny could have gone on with this steady monologue if Tomas hadn't cut her off.

"Thank you my dear. Now let me talk to the children and we'll be out in a little while." Tomas said to his wife as he ushered her out the door.

Lizzy handed her papa a cup of black coffee and handed a mug to William as well while she prepared her own coffee.

"Now Lizzy, this man informs me that he has no interest in you. Your mama would be beside herself if she heard such information. So why don't you explain to me why you've brought, for the first time ever, a boy into this home." Tomas asked.

This afternoon was proceeding from one disaster to another and Lizzy thought that she might never be able to face William Darcy ever again.

Lizzy took a sip of coffee and pulled a list of questions from her backback. "Papa, William is helping me with our immigration issues. After we spoke two weeks ago, my school advisor put me in contact with a free legal clinic to help me understand our options. William offered to accompany me this morning as he is a law student who is working on my case."

Tomas shifted uneasily in his chair and then placed a smile on his face. "Mi lucero, what do you need lawyers for? You're overreacting. Everything will be fine in a few years. When Maria is 21 she can sponsor us all. I don't see why you got a lawyer involved." Tomas said with a wave of his hand.

Lizzy was frustrated. It was just like her papa to try to make light of a major issue. She knew she needed to forge ahead and decided on another tack. "Papa, I'm sorry I left so suddenly two weeks ago. You took me by surprise."

"Oh, no need to worry about that. I know how you are. You hear something that you don't like and you need to walk it off or go for a run. I wasn't worried. I knew you'd show up sooner or later." Mr. Benetez responded. He took a breath and continued, "Besides, I was probably overly dramatic when I told you. You took me by surprise too but then I thought more about it and realized that the NY Times isn't going anywhere. They'll still be there in a few years."

William was incredulous. He wasn't sure what to say to Lizzy's father. How could he brush this off so easily? He looked over to Lizzy not sure what she wanted him to do in this situation. Of all of the scenarios he was prepared for this wasn't one of them.

She tried again, "Papa, can you just answer a few questions for me."

"Of course, mi lucero. I'm always here for you. What do you want to know?" he answered.

"Papa, do we have any family still in Mexico? Are you in contact with them? Do they know about our life in the US?" Lizzy thought she might start with the easier questions to get him talking.

"Oh no. We haven't spoken to anyone in Mexico since my own mama died ten years ago. Your mama has a brother and a sister in Mexico but we haven't spoken to them since before we left. No. There is nothing for us in Mexico. Our life is here." Tomas said.

"Mr. Benetez, it would be helpful if you had any documentation for Lizzy. Her passport or birth certificate perhaps?" William asked.

"Oh, I'm sure I have those documents somewhere in this room." he responded.

"Papa, do you have a plan if we're discovered? What about my sisters? What would happen to them?" Lizzy tried again.

"You're too worried. We've been here for twenty years and nothing has happened yet. And if the worst happened, the girls would be fine. The Lopez' will take them in and the restaurant and house are in Maria's name anyway."

"So papa, what about me? For when I graduate? What will I do?" Lizzy asked.

"Oh, Lizzy. You worry too much. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you'll figure something out and if not, you can always work here at the restaurant." Her papa responded.

Lizzy looked over at William and saw a hard look on his face. He was probably disgusted at her mother and father. Not a sensible word had come out of either of them all afternoon and she regretted bringing him along to witness their behavior. How had she deluded herself that they might have a rational conversation?

William was trying hard to think of a way to rescue this visit and get Lizzy out of this insane asylum. He couldn't think of anything productive to add, short of shaking her father and trying to knock some sense into him. "Mr. Benetez, it's important for Elizabeth to have access to her documents. Can you point us in a direction where we might locate them?"

"Oh, all right. Lizzy, creo que tu encontrarás en la caja fuerte. Tu sabes la combinación." _("Lizzy, I believe you'll find them in the safe. You know the combination.")_ Tomas said with a sigh.

"Mr. Benetez, while Lizzy is looking, can you tell us a little about your crossing? How you came to Boston?" William asked.

"It's pretty simple actually. We came to America on vacation. Went to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. We did all of those things, then hopped on a train to Boston and never left. It's a simple as that." Tomas quipped.

"But why Boston?" William asked.

"Our neighbor, Jose Lopez and I grew up together in Oaxaca. Franny and I were visiting him and his new wife Juliana and we decided, what the heck, let's stay. It was certainly safer than it was in Oaxaca at the time. I started working in a local restaurant as a cook. When Maria was born, Lizzy's abuela sent me some money from having sold our restaurant back home and we bought this place. Been here ever since." Tomas answered.

William felt better in at least getting the man to talk. He was hoping that this information was in some way helpful. Intent is important and it didn't seem like they intended to stay in the US when they first came.

By this time, Lizzy had walked back over with some documents in her hands. She unfolded them and saw what looked to be her birth certificate and passport. She thumbed through the passport and saw the stamp welcoming her to the US - twenty years ago.

"So papa, when you came to the US, you hadn't planned to stay?" Lizzy asked.

"Nope but once we were here it just seemed to be too much trouble to go back. You had a terrible time on the flight to New York, crying and screaming the whole way. Your mama's nerves were terrible during that trip and when we got to Boston you seemed to settle down so we figured we would stay." Tomas said with a chuckle.

They began to hear voices out in the hallway and Lizzy realized her sisters must have gotten home from school. Time for them to exit before they got roped into staying for dinner. She needed to be alone to process this afternoon. It had been a bit much and she couldn't fathom suffering through a family dinner with William there.

"Papa, we should get going. William and I both have classes tomorrow that we need to prepare for." Lizzy said.

"Oh tú no me engañas pequeña Lizzy. Estás tratando de evitar quedarse a cenar. Pues buena suerte para salir de la casa sin su madre tratando de precisar el rendimiento. Me quedaré oculto aquí." _("Oh you don't fool me little Lizzy. You're just trying to avoid staying for dinner. Well good luck getting out of the house without your mama trying to pin you down. I'll just stay hidden in here.")_ Her papa chided.

Lizzy looked over at William, a look of resignation on her face, and then headed to the door.

William was frustrated. They hadn't really accomplished much, well, aside from getting her documents. Lizzy was no closer to a solution and her father didn't seem to get it. This was her life they were playing with. He needed to say something. "Mr. Benetez, thank you for your time this afternoon and for humoring our questions. There is one thing you should know. My professor and I have advised Elizabeth that if we find a way for her to be here legally, and she chooses to pursue it, the INS will likely try to come and find you. I just want you to be prepared." William said and then turned and left the room.

Lizzy stared at William, then looked at her papa. For once her papa had nothing to say in reply. She walked over and gave her papa a quick kiss on the cheek. "Te amo papá. No seguros de cuándo a estar de vueltas a casa después. Enviaré un mensaje Maria, ok." _("I love you papa. I'm not sure when I'll be back home next. I'll text Maria, ok.")_

"Cuídate mi lucero" _("Take care my little bright star.")_ Tomas whispered as she walked out the door.

"Oh good. You're all done. Lizzy come into the kitchen and introduce your man to the girls. I know they'd like to meet him." Lizzy had long ago surmised that Franny Benetez must have sensors on her husband's office to know the precise moment the door is opened.

Lizzy walked into the kitchen and gave her sisters a quick hug which none of them seemed to appreciate.

"Oh look who we have here. Miss high and mighty... and are you planning to take over my shifts for the next two weeks to make up for ditching for the past few?" Lilia chided. Katerina started giggling and Maria rolled her eyes.

"Hi guys. I'm sorry that I haven't been around much. There have been some issues that I'm trying to solve and I won't be able to be home for a little while." Taking a breath, Lizzy turned to make the introductions, "William, these are my sisters, Maria, Katerina and Lilia. Girls, William's a friend from school who is helping me on a project. We needed to ask papa some questions for the project but we need to head out now. I'm sorry we can't stay but we need to get back to campus."

Maria stood up, gave William a once over and said a quick, "Nice to meet you," before bolting from the room. Katerina and Lilia quickly followed and could be heard laughing in the living room. Lilia's distinctive voice could be heard from the next room, "How'd she get him? He's hot!" If they thought they were being quiet they were wrong.

Lizzy hoped and prayed that William hadn't overheard them but couldn't stop to think about it before her mama launched in again.

"Now there is no way I'm letting you take this man away without feeding him. He needs to know that the Benetez women know how to take care their men." Franny said starting to pull on William's arm.

William looked at Lizzy with an expression that was completely unreadable. Lizzy was so stunned by the whole mortifying experience that her brain was simply screaming 'Run Lizzy, Run!' Before she could get a word out she heard William graciously say, "Mrs. Benetez, I apologize but truly I will have to take a rain check. I promised my aunt I would meet her tonight and so we truly do need to be going. I hope you understand." He then reached over, took her hand, and kissed it. Before her mama could open her mouth again, he grabbed Lizzy's hand and pulled her out the door.

William was pretty proud of how he had handled the situation but when he looked over at Lizzy he saw that she had completely shut down. The light, which usually brightened her eyes, was gone and her face was drawn. He wasn't sure what to do so he simply took her arm and started leading her back towards the T-station.

Lizzy was lost. She was mortified by her mother and sisters and was dumbfounded by the nonchalance her father had displayed throughout their discussion...until William had thrown that bomb at the end. How dare he say that to her papa! And it was clear he wanted nothing to do with her family ever again. Why would he after that fine display? And why did she care what he thought? She was so confused. Looking over at him, his face was inscrutable. She thought she should say something.

"Um, I didn't realize you had dinner plans. I hope this trip didn't make you late." Lizzy offered.

"Please don't trouble yourself. I don't actually have plans with my aunt. I just um, I just thought it best to say that I did." William said. "I mean, disguise is my abhorrence but…"

Before he could finish, Lizzy jumped in, "Oh, don't worry." 'Of course he doesn't have plans. He just couldn't wait to get away from my house and family fast enough. He'll probably be calling his friends tonight to have a good laugh over my pathetic family and our circumstances.' she thought.

They rode the rest of the time in silence. William was turning the entire visit over in his mind. How could the woman sitting beside him come from that home? How could her father care so little about his daughter that he could make light of her very legitimate worries? What was her mother thinking with all of those negative comments about her daughter? He looked over at Lizzy and was worried that the visit would set her back; that she wouldn't want to do anything. And yet, how could she give up her future for a family that didn't seem to truly care about her? And he didn't know what to make of her sisters. Maybe Professor Gilpin would have some ideas.

Lizzy looked over at William and saw that inscrutable look again. Yup. This is the last time I will ever see him. He'll probably tell Professor Gilpin that it's hopeless and they'll drop her case. Oh well. She should've prepared herself for disappointment from the beginning. She was a fool for thinking there was some possible way through this mess. It was so unfair.

They arrived at Harvard Square having barely spoken 20 words between them. Lizzy grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder preparing to leave. As they got to the top of the escalator she looked up at William, "Well bye. Thanks for um, coming today. If I don't see you, have a nice Thanksgiving." Lizzy offered, her shoulders slumped.

William couldn't stand it. He didn't want her to leave when she was so down. "Can I walk you back to the quad?"

"No, that's not necessary. I'm heading to the library anyway." Lizzy said and turned to walk away.

"Well, I'll see you on Tuesday ok?" William said.

"Yea, maybe then." Lizzy responded.

William stood there watching her and wondering what to do next. Shaking his head he headed out of the train station too.

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Comments, puleez, pretty please! They make my day :)


	16. Perspective

A/N:So this wasn't the chapter I was planning to post but it wrote itself this weekend. I decided Lizzy needed some perspective and a long, significant chapter is ...coming soon...is taking me a very long time to write. As such, hopefully this will tide folks over while I work through some kinks.

I found someone - one of our readers - to help me with my Spanish so hopefully I will be reposting a corrected Chapter 15 soon.

Happy Sunday and good luck to whichever team you are rooting for this afternoon/evening in the WC!

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Lizzy left the T station with the full intention of going to Widener Library to work on a paper that was coming due. Twenty minutes later she found herself approaching the front door of the Gardiners. She wasn't sure how she ended up here but figured she could at least say hello and give a kiss to the kids. Pressing the doorbell she wasn't sure who would greet her.

"Why Lizzy, hello! It's wonderful to see you. What brings you by?" Madeleine Gardiner greeted her.

"Hi Maddy, I was, um, out walking and just thought I'd say hello while I was in the neighborhood." Lizzy offered.

"Wonderful. It's always great to see you. Why don't you come in for a cup of tea so we can catch up. Edward has taken the boys to soccer and the girls are watching a Princess ballet video so we have a few minutes I think." she said with a smile. "I'm just working on dinner. If you want to help you can join us." Maddy offered.

"Sounds like a deal. I'm not quite ready to return to my house so I'd love to join." Lizzy agreed.

They walked into the kitchen and Maddy handed her some carrots and cucumbers to peel and chop for the kids to snack on before dinner.

"So how'd your meetings go this week? Did you have a good meeting at the legal clinic? Are you going to see your parents?" Maddy asked.

"I'm actually just coming from my parents. A law student, this guy William Darcy, came with me actually." Lizzy said as she diligently peeled the cucumbers.

Madeleine stopped her work and looked over at Lizzy understanding now why the young woman had landed on her doorstep. She turned off the tea kettle and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of wine. This conversation deserved something more than a cup of tea. Pouring out two glasses of wine, she placed them on the breakfast bar. Maddy scooped up the carrots and cucumbers into a bowl and helped Lizzy clean up the counter. "Come Lizzy. Lets have a glass of wine. I want to hear about your week. It's sounds pretty eventful." Maddy said with a kind smile.

Lizzy was grateful that Maddy had figured out what she needed, even when she didn't really know what it was. There seemed to be no one to talk to about everything happening around her and to her. "Maddy, it has been such a confusing week. I had no appreciation until now of how simple my life had been only a month ago!" she sighed. Knowing she had an attentive ear, Lizzy recapped her meeting with Professor Gilpin and William. She glossed over the tension with William sharing only the findings, the issues and the risks they had raised with regards to her family.

"Oh dear, how stressful. I'm glad you brought someone with you today. To have to worry about your family on top of your own concerns. You're taking on too much. I hope when you went to see your parents they were able to calm your concerns." Maddy said sympathetically.

"I feel awful saying this but my parents did NOT help. They were, well, disappointing, mortifying... the entire afternoon was simply terrible. And having William there only made it worse. It was a mistake to bring him. I was so embarrassed." Lizzy groaned. "Maddy, my mother spent most of her time fawning over William and criticizing me in front of him. Then my father treated the entire immigration issue as if it were a complete joke! My parents have no plan whatsoever and we couldn't have a serious discussion of it. Basically, I have no options until my sister can sponsor me. And, an adult sister is given a very low priority in the US immigration system. It could take me ten years to get a visa or green card that way! I think I'm going to have to find a way back to Mexico and try to build a life there by myself. Not that we have any family connections there at all." Lizzy sighed.

Maddy leaned over and gave Lizzy a hug. She had never seen Lizzy at such a point of despair or frustration. She'd always been so positive. Not that she could blame her for her current level of despair. "One thing I'm curious about are your comments about Mr. Darcy. You sound almost as distressed about him being with you as you are about your immigration challenges. Tell me more about him."

"He's the third year law student helping out. I'd actually met him before he started helping me. I was out at a restaurant with Charlotte and Jane celebrating my internship and we met William and his friends. Jane is now dating his best friend so I've seen him socially a few times. At any rate, when we met, I thought he was interesting and kind of cute. Then the whole immigration nightmare come up, and he was assigned to work on my case. When he first heard about the case, before he knew I was the client, he made some comments to Jane's boyfriend about the situation that were quite negative. I overheard them and it really upset me. He apologized of course when I called him out on it. Then today, he witnessed this entire debacle with my family. The whole way back to campus he was basically silent. He has this, this LOOK that quite clearly conveyed his complete disapproval of my family. It was very clear that he'll drop my case after today's fiasco." Lizzy explained.

"Did he actually say that he would be dropping your case?" Maddy asked.

"No, but why would he continue? He saw with his own eyes that it's completely hopeless. There's basically no incentive for him to keep working on my case." Lizzy shrugged.

"Lizzy, is that the only reason you think he would drop it? Because of a bad meeting with your parents?" Maddy asked.

"Well, its just, he's super wealthy and not only were my parents ridiculous but the disparity in our circumstances is extreme. Why would he want to take his free time to help someone like me? My parents proved every possible bad stereotype today with their behavior." Lizzy said.

"Lizzie, slow down. You're implying a lot to his way of thinking and you're not giving yourself any credit. You're an impressive young woman, and all the more amazing because of where you come from. I've never heard you speak so negatively before about anyone or any situation. It's very unlike you. Take some comfort in the fact that he came with you today. He didn't have to. You need think about all of the ways he has tried to be kind rather than assuming the worst."

"What do you mean?" Lizzy asked.

"Well, what did he say to you when you got back to Harvard Square?" Maddy asked.

"I guess, he offered to walk me back to my dorm." Lizzy remembered.

"Truly? And you think that means he's dropping your case? I understand how difficult this all is for you but you may want to consider that it is clouding your judgment. When are you supposed to meet with William and Professor Gilpin again?" Maddy asked.

"Tuesday, but-"Lizzy started.

"No buts young lady. You are going to that meeting. Promise me."

"Alright. Thanks Maddy. I suppose you're right. I will try to take a more positive attitude although I have to admit the outlook looks pretty grim." She agreed.

"Ok, can you set the table while I finish up dinner?" Maddy asked.

"Yes ma'am. I'll hop right on it." Lizzy smiled.

Lizzy did feel better after a relatively normal evening with the Gardiner family. Here she felt like she could simply be herself without worry. It was one of the few places she felt completely comfortable. After dinner and reading some stories to the younger Gardiners, Lizzy headed back trying to keep this relative calm. She decided to text William as she felt bad about the funk she had been this afternoon.

_EB: Hey there. I don't think I thanked you for coming today so...thanks._

A few minutes passed before Lizzy's phone buzzed back.

_WD: Glad to have come. We will figure this out._

_EB: Maybe. But I'm glad for the help._

_WD: G-night_

_EB: G-night _

* * *

Progress? Are we getting some greater perspective in order to get closer to our goal? Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome :)


	17. You've Got A Friend

A/N: So this was a big chapter for me to write (almost 6000 words and a lot of significant plot stuff happening) so it took me awhile to figure out the right way to handle it all. I hope you guys like it. It was probably the hardest chapter to write so I really would love some feedback!

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William needed to sort through the difficult afternoon with someone. He hoped Professor Gilpin was in his office. He knew he wouldn't rest until he talked this through with someone and given confidentiality, the professor was truly his only option.

He walked up the stairs into Griswold Hall and headed to the Professor's office. William noticed a light on in the office and saw that the door was slightly ajar so he knocked quickly and walked in to the dimly lit room. The professor appeared to be sound asleep, reclining back in an old, high-backed leather chair. William debated his next step, 'should he wake the professor or leave him be?' The deliberations were moot as William accidentally bumped a pile of books sending them tumbling off a table onto the floor. The professor jumped awake, quickly adjusting himself in his chair when he observed William in his office.

"Mr. Darcy, you seem to have caught me," the professor said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you Sir." Darcy quickly responded while trying to place the tower of books back on the side table.

"Oh please don't apologize. I'm glad you woke me. I've been known to doze off, only to wake when my Rebecca calls looking for me because I'm late for dinner," he said with a smile breaking across his face. "Now what brings you to my office this afternoon?"

"Oh, yes. Well, I accompanied Miss Benetez to her home this afternoon and thought I would speak with you about it, if you have time."

"Very good. Help me up from behind this desk and we can sit and have a chat about what you've learned." Professor Gilpin returned. After the two gentlemen were settled in matching arm chairs the professor asked, "So tell me about your visit with Miss Benetez. Was it helpful? Does she have a better sense of her parent's plans?"

Darcy was grateful that the professor had started by asking a question because he still couldn't figure out where to begin. "To be honest professor, I am still trying to determine what happened during the visit. Her parents were nothing like I expected. Her mother, well, her mother doesn't seem to be a decision maker in this. It's what you might call, a traditional household." William started.

The professor started chuckling trying to imagine the contrast between William's own upbringing and what he likely experienced this afternoon. He remembered enough of Anne Darcy to know she wore the pants in the Darcy household. "Oh, I guess that's not too surprising for many Latino households. Although, you should never underestimate the power a woman holds in the home. Often there is just the appearance that the men have the power."

"Yes, well, Lizzy's mother was pretty quickly dismissed and the real conversation, or at least the conversation we made the trip for, was with her father alone." William added. "Personally I found the conversation completely nonproductive. Her father seemed to dismiss our concerns from the beginning saying there was no need for lawyers and that everything would work out fine. He didn't seem to be concerned at all about the risk to himself or Lizzy. What was more baffling was that he kept saying that Lizzy would figure it out and if she didn't it was no big deal. They'd just wait until her younger sister was of age to take care of it."

"Hmm. Interesting. How did Miss Benetez react to all of this?" the professor asked.

"Not particularly well, I think. She seemed kind of stunned when we left. She was very respectful to her parents throughout the visit. I swear at one point I wanted to shake her father but she maintained her deference and equanimity the entire time. Then, on the way back to campus, she barely spoke ten words. Professor, I'm not sure she's going to show up at the clinic on Tuesday." William responded.

Professor Gilpin sat up straighter at this final comment, "Why would you say that?"

"Well, Lizzy strikes me as a person who's pretty loyal to her family. Think about it, throughout college she's gone home every weekend to work in her family restaurant, she didn't challenge her parents today when they said things that were, quite frankly, ridiculous. Her family has no plan if they get caught. Will she put them at risk for her personal goals, especially when all we've offered her is a chance at a student visa? I'm not sure she'll challenge them." William shared.

The professor seemed to be pondering these comments. Trying to figure out how this impacted their next steps. "Do you think her parents understand the consequences if she tries to regularize her status?" the professor asked.

"Yes, at least now they do. I may have upset Lizzy but I did tell her father that if she did try to become legal then they're at risk. I just felt like I couldn't leave without saying it. If she's going to be a martyr, he should know why." Darcy said shaking his head with frustration.

The professor leaned back in his chair looking over at William. It was clear, given how worked up the young man had become, that he felt more than simply the care a lawyer develops for a client. He was wrapped up in this at an emotional level. "Well, we cannot force her to any particular action, we can only give counsel. That said, I'd like to touch base with her faculty advisor who first came to me with this problem. He seems quite close with Miss Benetez and I think his perspective on how we handle our next conversation with our client would be most helpful. Can I entrust you with the goal of ensuring Miss Benetez attends our next scheduled meeting?"

"Yes sir. And, thank you. I appreciate your counsel and am glad I'm not dealing with this on my own." William answered.

"Well, have a good evening. I will see you in class tomorrow," the professor answered.

William walked out into the cool evening air. It was just after 5:00 and it was already getting dark. The night was clear and William walked briskly towards his apartment to begin working on his cases before tomorrow's classes. As he walked he pondered what Lizzy was doing. He could only imagine her state of mind after the upsetting conversations of the afternoon. If he was upset he couldn't imagine how she was feeling.

It was with some relief later that evening when he received her text. He'd been emailing with his sister, confirming some plans to meet up in December, when he heard his phone buzz. Their exchange, although brief, gave him some confidence that she would come on Tuesday to their meeting.

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Lying in bed Saturday night, William kept revisiting the events of Thursday afternoon. If he was honest with himself, he had thought of very little else during his free moments. Recalling the train ride back, Lizzy seemed to have given up and he couldn't stop thinking about the maddening conversation with her parents. How could Lizzy's father be so blind to his daughter's needs? How could her mother marginalize her in front of others? The entire time they were at her home he kept suppressing an urge to simply take her away from all of them and give her the opportunities they could not. And he could do it - he could take her away and fix this. He could marry her, and in that one move, resolve their mutual problems.

He also understood that his continual focus on this issue was just one manifestation of how his feelings for Lizzy had started to become more than friendship. He didn't know where these emotions had come from but knew he was likely too late to stop them. He couldn't back away. She had captured his attention that first evening they met and the more he learned about her the more enraptured he'd become. When she was feeling strong, she sparkled and when she was weak it was all he could do to not wrap her up in his arms. And yet, he wasn't sure if these 'feelings' were a good thing right now given the crazy spot their lives were both in. Were they clouding his judgment? Was marriage the right option for either of them? Would she even consider it given the impact to her family? Was it ethical? Appropriate? Even more important to him, would their feelings be unequal?

All those worries aside, William Darcy was not someone who could ever be passive when someone he cared for was in trouble. The past two days he had resisted the urge to jump in his car and drive to JP for another conversation with Lizzy's father. He needed to make the man understand all that he was asking his daughter to sacrifice and risk. There needed to be a reasoned, adult conversation about these issues so that they could make the right decisions. It was 3:08am Sunday morning when William finally resolved to go back to JP and meet with Lizzy's father again. This time without Lizzy. He had some things to say and didn't want to have to worry about Lizzy's reaction.

William must have finally fallen asleep after having made the resolution. Rolling over he glanced at his alarm clock. 11:02. Is that right? Noticing the bright sun streaming through the windows was enough to confirm he had in fact, slept in. Damn! After running through a quick shower, William hopped into his car and entered the restaurant's address into his GPS. Twenty-five minutes later he pulled up in front of the Benetez family restaurant. The side street was completely blocked by a white moving van so William parked a block away and walked up to the home he had just left three days prior. Men were carrying boxes from the apartment above to the moving van. William stepped aside to let a group through and then entered the apartment. It seemed to be pure chaos of boxes, paper and furniture.

"Oh goodness, William. You've come back and I don't have anything for you to eat. Have you brought Lizzy? Oh, that girl should have called before bringing you by so I could prepare!" Francesca Benetez was clearly flustered, her arms waiving in the air.

"Um, no Lizzy isn't here. I had come to see Mr. Benetez. Is he at home?" William asked?

"Oh, of course he isn't. He's left me to deal with this mess. I think you can find him down in the restaurant. Just go down the back steps and they'll lead you to the kitchen." Mrs. Benetez pointed towards a door off the kitchen that revealed a narrow set of winding steps.

William ducked his head and headed down the stairs into a brightly lit industrial kitchen. He was impressed with the quality of the appliances and the professional look of the kitchen. He spotted Mr. Benetez speaking with someone in the dining room. William walked forward and, upon entering the room, cleared his throat.

Mr. Benetez looked up and spotting William, patted the back of the man he was speaking to and walked over. "Hello Mr. Darcy! What brings you to our little restaurant today. Is my Lizzy with you?"

"Um, no Mr. Benetez. I came alone to speak with you. When we left on Thursday, Lizzy seemed quite unsettled and I felt compelled to come by and speak with you again."

"Oh good, good. That is good." Mr. Benetez muttered. "Let's take a little walk shall we? We can get some coffee and talk."

William followed Lizzy's father out of the restaurant. They walked for a few minutes down the street to a cafe about two blocks away from the restaurant. "It's better to talk here as I wouldn't want us to be interrupted. Now, you said Lizzy was unsettled. I can imagine she was." Mr. Benetez sighed.

This was a different man than the one William had seen on Thursday. This Tomas Benetez wasn't joking around and seemed to be wearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. "May I ask what is happening in your home? I saw people with moving boxes and Mrs. Benetez seemed, uhm, overwhelmed." William asked.

"Oh, well, you see, I've made a decision. We're leaving. It's pretty clear that Lizzy doesn't have a chance to pursue her green card or a visa if we stay here in Boston. I know my girl, she won't do it if she has to make the decision to put us at risk. So by this afternoon, we'll be gone and she won't be able to find us." Tomas said.

"You're leaving? Does Lizzy know?" William asked incredulously.

"No. She doesn't. And you're not going to tell her either." Tomas said, looking William directly in his eyes. "I'm trusting you. I think you care about my girl. I'd do anything in the world for my little Lizzy. She's a special one and deserves only the best. I am trusting you with her. Treat her right, help her achieve her dreams. Can you do that?" Tomas asked.

"I will do my best sir. But, you surely know that she will be devastated if you simply disappear. How will she get in touch with you." William asked.

"She won't be able to. She's going to be on her own for awhile. I wasn't sure I could do it until I saw you with her. You may not realize it yet, but I see it." Tomas said. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a letter. "Here, tonight or tomorrow, give this to Lizzy. It explains things. Tell her...tell her that I love her more than anything in the world." With that Tomas Benetez got up and walked quickly out of the cafe. William sat there, staring at the letter. He needed to find Lizzy. He needed to bring her to JP as soon as possible. She deserved to try and say goodbye to her family one last time before they disappeared.

William left a $5 on the table to cover the coffee and a tip and began to sprint towards his car. Maybe, just maybe, if he hurried he could find Lizzy and bring her back before they left. William punched her address into his GPS and then began the trip back to Cambridge. As he was driving he realized she might not be at her house so he quickly dialed her cell number.

"Hi, this is Lizzy, you've got my voicemail, leave me a message and I'll ring you back." Ugh. Her phone was going straight to voicemail. He needed to find her. It then occurred to him, Jane, she might know where she is. Charlie should have her number.

"Hey Darce."

"Hey Charlie. This might seem like a strange question but, I was wondering if you were with Jane or if you knew how I could reach her."

"Uh, yea, she's right here, hang on a sec,"Charlie responded. "Hey Jane, it's Darcy, he asked to speak with you. Not sure what it's about," he said as he handed his cell to Jane.

"Hello?" Jane's voice was the next to come through the phone.

"Hi Jane, thanks for getting on the line. I need to get in touch with Lizzy, its pretty urgent and I can't get through to her. Her phone is going straight to voicemail." William explained.

"Lizzy? As in my roommate?" Jane asked, completely perplexed as to why he would want to speak with someone so urgently that, as far as she knew, he had rarely spoken to.

"Yes, your roommate. I've been, uhm, helping her on a project and I just discovered something very important that I need to tell her. Do you know where I can find her?" William asked. 'Damn, Lizzy is really private isn't she. She hasn't even told her roommates about what's going on!' William thought.

"Well if her phone is going straight to voicemail, you'll likely find her at Widener Library. She turns her phone off when she is working there. You'll generally find her by the computer work stations." Jane offered.

"Thanks so much Jane. I really appreciate the help." William ended the call to focus on driving.

Twenty minutes later, William had parked by Holyoke Center and was racing over to Widener Library. He hadn't yet thought through what he was going to say to Lizzy, given his sole focus had been on finding her and getting her back to JP. He'd have to figure out something. Racing up the stairs, he paused to catch his breath while looking over the expansive room. William gingerly wove through the computer terminals looking for a curly headed girl. Finally, he spotted her. He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.

Lizzy jumped, looked over her shoulder and removed her headphones. "Hi." Lizzy said with no small amount of surprise on her face.

"Hi Lizzy. Look, can I grab you for a bit?" William asked.

Lizzy looked up at him and noticing his agitation, decided not to question him, "Oh sure. Should I pull together my things?" Lizzy responded.

"Um, yea. If you could follow me, that'd be great." William said.

Lizzy shut down the computer she was working on and packed up her things. She hadn't thought she would see William until Tuesday and wasn't sure what he might want to discuss, especially going to the point of hunting her down at the library.

They walked outside into the chilly November day. William was still trying to figure out how to have this conversation. "I have something I need to tell you and I was hoping you could simply listen, and not react or ask questions until I'm done. Is that ok?" William started.

"I guess," Lizzy responded.

"So since Thursday, I've been thinking a lot about our visit to your house." William started. "Well, I couldn't stop thinking about it so I decided to go visit your dad again. I made the decision at about 3:00 this morning and then, unfortunately slept late." William looked over at her to gauge her reaction. At this point, she simply had a look of surprise on her face. He continued, "I drove over to your family's house today and got there around noon. When I arrived, I found, well, I found your entire family was packing the house up. I got your dad to talk to me and he said that they were leaving, not to tell you but, to give you this letter sometime tonight." Again he looked over at her. She had simply stopped in her tracks, staring at his outstretched hand with the letter in it. He knew he had to continue on, "But Lizzy, I couldn't keep this from you. I needed to track you down and try to get you back to JP to see them. They may not still be there, but I needed to try. My car is right over by Holyoke Center and I will take you there right now. I just left them about 45 minutes ago so there's a good chance they are still there." He finished.

Looking over, Lizzy had an unreadable look on her face. She was simply standing, staring at the letter she had taken from him. William walked back towards her, "Lizzy?" She looked up, squared her shoulders, and began to walk briskly towards Holyoke Center. They reached his car and he helped her in. She still hadn't opened the letter or said anything. As they started moving, he quietly asked, "Lizzy, do you have any questions?"

"Many, and I'm not sure which ones to ask first. You said they were leaving. Leaving for where? For how long? Why?"

Perhaps you should read the letter. While I don't know what it says, your father said it would explain things.

"No, I don't want to read the letter yet. I want you to explain." Lizzy replied her voice steady with little emotion.

"I'll do my best." William mentioned how he had first arrived in JP, found the moving van and the Benetez house in a constrained chaos, and her father in the restaurant below. He told her, word-for-word what her father had said to him in the coffee shop. And how he had resolved to try and find her before they left town.

"Thank you. Thank you for telling me. But why? Why did you go to JP?" Lizzy asked.

"I couldn't leave things they way they were on Thursday. You deserve more. You deserve more than you got from your parents on that visit. You deserve a chance and I needed to see if I could have a rational conversation with your father so we could come up with a plan. None of that happened, of course, because when I got there, they were packing up house." William explained.

Lizzy sat there in silence, taking those thoughts in. 'He went to JP for me. To talk to my father, for me. What would Maddy say? Think about what he's doing for you and view it in a positive light. Well, she'd say he is acting as a friend; someone who cares a lot about me. He's going out of his way to help me. Be open to it.' Ok.

"Lizzy, you're very quiet. Are you ok? Are you going to open the letter?" William asked disrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, um. Well, I was just thinking about what you said. I don't want to read the letter if I can talk to papa. I want to hear what he has to say. The letter is useful only if I can't speak to him." She said quietly. "Thank you, again. I seem to be saying that a lot but I really mean it. I appreciate you coming and finding me today." Lizzy added.

"It was nothing. You would surely do the same for a friend." William said.

They rode in silence for several minutes, with periodic interruptions from the GPS directing them to turn left or right. That little electronic voice announced that they were 'arriving at their destination up ahead'. William's heart sank when he saw that the moving van was gone. He parked the car in front of the restaurant. They both noticed a closed sign on the front door of the restaurant, unusual for this time of day. Lizzy raced around to the back and barreled up the stairs pounding on the door. William charged up behind her and grabbed her backpack. "Lizzy, tell me where your keys are," William ordered.

Tears were streaming down her face but she managed to croak out, "In the front pocket."

William quickly found the keys and started to unlocked the doors. Turning the door handle, Lizzy called out, "Mama? Papa?"

There was no answer. Lizzy started running through the home but, it was clear that they were gone. William followed quickly behind her and found her sitting on a bed, presumably her bed, in a room still filled with track medals and newspaper articles taped to the walls. William quietly entered and sat down on the bed next to her. He watched as Lizzy opened her letter.

_Mi lucero,_

_I can imagine your surprise in receiving a letter from your papa. You know that, at my best, I'm not a diligent correspondent so you may want to save this one to prove that I can write one._

_From your first days you have been my little bright star. You always will be. I want the world to see your light and I know they can't if we stay in Boston. I know you. Your loyalty to family and sense of responsibility to care for others has always been strong. This loyalty would prevent you from pursuing any chance at legalization if it meant that we would be found. Your friend William didn't need to remind me that we are the obstacle to your future. But you are not the papa, I am. And so I am making the choice for you._

_When you receive this letter your mama and I, Katerina and Lilia will be gone. Maria will be staying with the Lopez' until she starts college next year. As you know better than me, Billy has been basically running the restaurant these past few years and so I have entrusted him to manage it. Do not worry for us and don't look for us. You won't find us if you try, but please check in on Maria._

_I hope that in a few years we will all be together again. Until then, I will be reading the NY Times looking for your name and watching you shine from afar._

_Love,_  
_Papa_

Lizzy folded the letter and threw it on the floor, "Dammit Papa!"

Darcy had rarely seen her angry and it wasn't an expression he wanted to see frequently. Her anger quickly turned on itself and Lizzy began to cry in earnest. This time, there was nothing to hold William back. He folded her into his arms as she sobbed. William wasn't sure how long they had sat there. Once her crying finally began to subside, she pulled away from him. As much as he didn't want her to cry, he was disappointed to feel her moving away.

"Thank you for trying. He probably knew you'd come get me and rushed everyone out of here." Wiping the tears from her face, she excused herself to the bathroom.

'Oh great,' she thought, 'I'm a mess. My face is red and splotchy and my eyes are swollen from crying. Splashing some cold water on her face, she laughed at how her mama would react if she found William sitting in her bedroom. She wouldn't want to see how her papa would react. Well, they're gone so no need to worry about that!' Returning to her room, she found that William had moved from her bed and was looking over all of her embarrassing photos and awards from high school. Squaring her shoulders, Lizzy cleared her throat to get William's attention. "I should probably go and check on Maria to make sure she's ok. If you need to get back to campus or whatever, you don't have to come with me."

"No, I'm here for you. I'll come and help you in whatever way you need." William resolved. Following her down the stairs, they walked down the same side street they had parked on passing several triple decker apartment buildings. Lizzy paused, taking a deep breath, and rang the bell for one of them. A few minutes later they heard someone running down the stairs towards the door. Swinging the door open a teenage girl greeted them, "Lizzy! I don't think mama expected you here so soon. Come on up."

They followed quickly behind her to the second floor. "Mama, it's Lizzy and a friend." the girl called out.

A moment later, a door swung open and the young girl's mother came through. "Oh Lizzy, it's such a surprise to see you soon soon. Your papa said you might come by tomorrow or maybe next weekend." she said giving Lizzy a big hug.

"Buenas dias, Mrs. Lopez. I'm sorry to show up unexpectedly. This is my friend William. He drove me over from campus to see my family before they left. It seems I've missed them." Lizzy said

"I'm afraid so. Come, you must sit down and I'll get you something to eat." Mrs. Lopez offered kindly.

"Oh, please don't put yourself out. I came by to check in on Maria. Thank you for taking her in until she leaves for college. Do you think I could see her?" Lizzy asked.

William could see that Lizzy was anxious and wasn't quite sure why she would be so. He'd have to ask her later. Sitting in the apartment, William looked around. It was a fairly spacious apartment, more so than he would have imagined from the outside. On each wall he noticed statues of the Virgin Mary, rosary beads hanging, and pictures of the crucifixion. In between were cabinets filled with small figurines, vases, and carvings. There were few spaces left uncovered. He'd heard the term bric-a-brac once and now understood the meaning. The place was filled with a mix of religious artifacts and random decorative items.

"She's not here right now. As soon as the truck pulled away she said she was heading over to some friend's house to study." Mrs. Lopez responded.

"Ok. I guess I'll text her and see when we can get together." Lizzy responded.

"Lizzy dear, we'll take good care of her so don't you worry if you don't hear from her right away." said Mrs. Lopez.

"Why wouldn't I hear from her?" Lizzy asked confused.

Shifting in her seat, Mrs. Lopez wouldn't meet Lizzy's eyes, "Well, um, you see, you know how teenagers are, I just didn't want you to worry."

Why did this need to be so difficult? "Mrs. Lopez, please be direct with me, I've had kind of a long day already." Lizzy said, a hint of frustration edging into her voice.

"You see, Maria is a bit upset about all of this moving business and she pretty angry with you right now. I'm sure she'll get over it in time." Mrs. Lopez said with a reassuring smile.

Lizzy lifted her brows and her eyes darted over to William. He was sitting there looking every bit uncomfortable with the setting and conversation. 'He's uncomfortable! If he only knew how I feel having my life out on display for all the neighbors to gawk and comment on. No doubt as soon as we leave, Mrs. Lopez will be out on the front stoop talking about 'my situation' with every person who walks by', Lizzy thought. "I do see. We should be going. Please tell Maria that I stopped by. If she has any interest in contacting me, ask her to call or text. I won't chase her, it's her choice," she told Mrs. Lucas.

"Don't fret Lizzy dear. Perhaps by Christmas, Maria will find it in her heart to forgive you." Mrs. Lopez offered.

With a quick goodbye Lizzy managed to extricate them from the apartment before her temper gave way. Once out of the building Lizzy took off, walking briskly such that William had to run to catch up. She seemed furious and was muttering in Spanish as she walked, her hands waiving punctuating her speech. When they got to William's car she finally seemed to notice he was still with her. They climbed in and William asked, "Mind if you tell me what that little scene was all about?"

"Oooh! They all make me so angry! Why can't I live my life without being judged!" Lizzy stormed.

"I'm sorry Lizzy but I feel like I'm missing part of the story here. Can you fill me in?" William asked.

"Fine, what does it matter how many embarrassing stories you know about me at this point! Mrs. Lopez has a son, Billy, who's been working in my family's restaurant for years. He's the person who'll be running it for Maria now that my family has left. All through high school there has always been this thing between my mama and Mrs. Lopez that Billy and I would get married and take over the restaurant. I NEVER dated him, but at graduation, Billy actually proposed. When I turned him down, mama and Mrs. Lopez wouldn't speak to me for weeks. Like I'd not go to Harvard!" She fumed. "I'm sure this whole moving debacle will just start everyone up again. If I'd stayed home and married Billy then no one would've had to leave. That's why Maria is mad, I'm sure. And Mrs. Lopez is likely fueling those thoughts. Like I'm not allowed to have my own dreams?" Lizzy was on a roll.

"Lizzy that's ridiculous. I don't know this Billy person but anyone who knows you wouldn't think that getting married at 18 and staying home to run a restaurant was the right path." William urged.

"I, of course, agree with you but they would say that if I'd married him and stayed at home, this entire immigration thing would've never been an issue. You see Billy was born here, as was his mother. I'm sure that was part of why my mama wanted me to marry him - not that I knew that at the time. And it wouldn't have been enough of an enticement for me - that's for sure. I would never want to marry just to have a solution to my immigration status." Lizzy vented.

William tucked that statement into the back of his mind. "What did your father say when this all happened?" he asked.

"Oh he thought the whole thing was ridiculous. He told me that I had big dreams and he wanted me to go after them. To be honest, I didn't think anymore about it after that." Lizzy said with a laugh.

"Good. I may not like your father's method of doing things but I'm glad to hear he has some sense and that he usually tries to put you and your concerns first. You deserve it." William said sincerely.

"Thanks." Lizzy said turning to him with a bright smile.

* * *

Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome and VERY motivating...


	18. Stories Shared

A/N: Based on your feedback I am hoping this chapter satisfies...As always, I love the characters from P&P, but I don't own them and use them to tell fanciful stories. Also, Many thanks to EABrandon who is helping me on Spanish. Chapter 15 will be re-uploaded to fix the Spanish translations that I got wrong and all the credit goes to her!

BTW, if you don't like my story that's fine, just don't read it and keep your negativity to yourself! IF you have constructive criticisms and advice I am ALL for it :)

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Lost in her thoughts Lizzy hadn't paid attention to where they were driving. As the car slowed, she noticed they'd pulled into a parking deck that was completely unfamiliar to her.

"Where are we going?" Lizzy asked.

"I figured you probably haven't eaten in awhile. I know I haven't and rather than both of us going off alone, I brought us back to my place. We can grab a bite here and, if you're up for it, talk a little." he said with a small smile.

"Thanks. You're right, I haven't really eaten today although I'm not sure I'm up for much talking. I'll warn you to keep your expectations low for me as a dining companion." Lizzy attempted to joke.

The two entered the elevator and headed up to William's condo. "Well, let's say we're even as I can't promise there's very much in the fridge so you can go light on the converation and I might need to go light on the food." William joked.

Walking into the condo, Lizzy took in the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Charles River, the warm and inviting living room with gas fireplace taking up one wall, and the open kitchen and dining areas. William was in the kitchen examining the lean contents of his refrigerator when he heard something that sounded like crying. He quickly walked into the living room to check on Lizzy only to see her doubled over with laughter.

"I have to say, I didn't expect to find you laughing after the day you've had. Please, tell me, what's so funny." William asked.

"To be honest, I'm not so sure." Catching her breath Lizzy continued, "It's just that my life is so absurd. This is absurd! Here you are, probably one of the most accomplished people I've ever met, living in this absolutely beautiful condo, about to graduate and go off to start some big, important career, and yet you spend your free time helping me, a now, likely homeless illegal immigrant. Just today you spent the day traipsing through the city in search of my family who have taken off with barely a word of goodbye. If I didn't laugh, I'd be crying."

William was surprised. Surprised that she had this view of herself and the unlikelihood that someone like him might want to help her. "Lizzy, you have my help and will continue to have it."

"Thanks. I was just worried that you'd look around and realize you shouldn't be helping someone like me." Lizzy said quietly.

"You know, we all have our challenges. I won't try to compare our situations, but I've learned that very good people have bad things happen to them all the time. You might be surprised by what you don't know about someone. I was certainly surprised by you when I first learned about your situation. It's taught me a really important lesson about not judging situations without first knowing the whole story."

Lizzy thought about this. He had a point. And she really didn't know much about his life or what his story might be. "You're right. I was so angry at you for something that I've just done myself. Let me help you get some food together and if you don't mind, maybe we could talk about you for awhile or world politics or really anything else. I'm sick and tired of talking about me."

Lizzy and William pulled together some turkey sandwiches, cold beer and bbq potato chips and settled down at the kitchen counter.

"So William, you know all of my deep, dark secrets, and have experienced many of my most embarrassing moments. I think it is only fair if you tell me something equally personal so I don't feel so quite so exposed." Lizzy teased.

"I see. Well, I guess you have a point. I'm sure if my cousins were here they could tell you all kinds of embarrassing stories but I'm not sure I can do any of them justice." He looked over at her and saw he had her full attention. It was a powerful thing to be caught in her gaze. "I'm not sure I want to saddle you with anymore stress or sad tales though."

"I hope you don't have a lot of sad tales but if you need someone to listen, I'd welcome the opportunity to return the favor. You've been a truly loyal friend and it would be an honor if you would share some of your challenges." Lizzy's sincerity was compelling and in that moment William decided he would share the worries he had carried these past months with her.

"Lizzy, there is something that has been happening in my family. Only a few members of my family are aware of everything but I'd like to share it with you. I only ask for your complete confidentiality." William said with all seriousness.

"William, I was joking. You don't need to share something so personal with me. Of course, I would always give you my complete confidentiality but truly, I didn't mean to ask something like this of you." Lizzy responded.

"No, I'd like to share this with you. I'd like your perspective actually. It has some parallels to your own situation that might enable you to give me some insight on next steps." William said.

"Alright. I'm happy to help in anyway I can, but this doesn't seem to be the kind of conversation to be had at a breakfast bar. Let's finish up these sandwiches and we can sit in your living room." Lizzy said with a smile.

With beers in hand, they moved onto the couch, each taking a corner. Once settled, Darcy became quiet for a few moments. Looking over at her he saw her looking earnestly at him. He should tell her everything, he resolved. "So I've told you that I have a sister, Georgiana. You may have noticed that I don't speak of our parents. They've both passed away, my mother first about ten years ago, and then my father followed almost five years ago, when Georgie had just turned 11. I was appointed her guardian at the time. I was 22, and starting graduate school so I bought this apartment and moved in with Georgie and our housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds. My aunt and uncle live in Boston most of the time and were essential to getting Georgie settled into school and all of that. I think we actually managed quite well those first few years." Darcy said with a smile.

"William, I'm so sorry for your loss. Here I've been complaining about my family and your parents have been gone all these years." Lizzy said self-consciously.

"Don't upset yourself. I feel very fortunate for the family I have." William smiled and they sat quietly for a moment looking at one another. William felt himself overwhelmed by the desire to kiss her. Shaking himself out of these errant thoughts, he started again.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, Georgie and school. When Georgie was 14 and thinking about high school, my aunt and uncle suggested it might be best to send Georgie to boarding school. I was getting close to finishing my degrees and would only become busier as I took on full responsibility for my family's company. I agreed with them and sent her off to a boarding school in New Hampshire for her freshman year." William sighed, rubbed his face and finished off his beer. This was going to be a long story and he'd need another beer to keep him going. He looked over at Lizzy and saw he still had her full attention.

"I'm going to grab another beer, do you want one?" he asked.

"I'm fine for now. Thanks." Lizzy said with a small smile.

Returning from the kitchen, William had two beers and set them on the table. "Just in case," he grinned.

"So, boarding school. We packed up Georgie and sent her to New Hampshire. The school is supposed to be one of the best in the country; excellent music program, and all the rest. What no one realized was that their recently hired field hockey coach didn't have the cleanest record when it came to young women - and Georgie decided to go out for field hockey," he said with a grimace. "Georgie's shy, and so I knew it would be a big adjustment going away to school. I'd had the same experience and expected it to take some time for her to adjust. But, as the first quarter came to end she seemed to be enjoying her classes, she'd made a friend or two, and she absolutely loved field hockey. I was so happy for her. Second quarter was more of the same, and I was so glad about the decision to send her off to school. She was growing in confidence and had intimated that a boy liked her. It was after the winter holidays that things started to change. When we spoke on the phone, she was always running off somewhere. She dropped some classes and changed to only art classes based on the 'advice of a teacher.' She then told me not to call her because she was so busy but would call me when she could. I was busy with school and my other responsibilities and tI didn't really push back or question why she was pulling away so much. Then one day I got a letter from the school stating that, because of the changes in her course schedule, she'd need to spend the summer taking some of her core requirements. I was furious and resolved to drive up to the school to find out what was going on. When I got to there, I first went to see Georgie." As William thought about the next part of the story he felt a shudder run down his body. This was really hard to talk about but he also knew he would feel better if he shared this story with her. He felt a hand on his and, looking up, noticed that Lizzy had scooted over to sit beside him. She smiled, providing him encouragement that he needed. Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"When I found her, she was thin as a rail. Since December, when I'd last seen her, she'd lost an tremendous amount of weight. She'd died her hair black and was wearing tons of make up. I can't even describe the dress she was wearing. My sweet baby sister had transformed into a girl that I couldn't recognize." A small laugh escaped from his lips as a memory popped into his mind, "I even asked why she was dressed in costume." Will shook his head at this memory. "It turned out that 'George preferred her this way.' It was bizarre. I came to learn that 'George' was her field hockey coach and taught art at the school. Over the course of the school year he'd managed to essentially brainwash her. He'd taken control over every element of her daily life dictating what to eat, what to wear, how to do her hair and make up, and how to spend her time. I finally got Georgie to confess that he'd also seduced her. He'd even gotten her to start taking birth control pills. She was barely 15!"

"Oh Will. That's terrible! What did you do?" Lizzy asked, tears in the corner of her eyes.

"I was horrified. I called my aunt Sophia and she drove up to help me with Georgie so I could deal with the school. While my aunt brought Georgie back to Boston, I met with the dean of the school attempting to figure out how this could have happened under their noses. Somehow this 'teacher' figured out what was happening and took off. By the time I'd gotten to the dean he'd disappeared from campus. I've hired some private detectives to try and find him but he's been difficult to locate." William sighed.

"What's happened to your sister since then? Has she recovered?" Lizzy asked anxiously.

"My uncle, aunt and I spent more than six months working with mental health professionals in order to undo the damage that sick man had inflicted. It was one of the worst times I've ever experienced and I can't believe that the one person I was responsible for could have been subjected to such torture." William took another long sip and was quiet, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

Lizzy reached over to him this time initiating a hug. Feeling her touch, William relaxed into her hold on him. He was grateful for her quiet attention and care.

"She's so lucky to have you. What a terrible thing to have happened! A coach can have a tremendous amount of influence on their students. That power, in the wrong hands, can be so dangerous. I can imagine how it could happen so slowly that she probably didn't even realize what was happening and how she was changing. How is she now?" Lizzy asked.

"She is much, much better. That said, she remains very insecure about her judgment of people and situations. When Georgie's challenged, she immediately questions herself and can become so uncertain she's almost immobilized by her indecision. She's in an all girl's school in Maryland now. It's very small and nurturing and they have a great horsemanship program, something Georgie has always loved. She can trust a horse probably more than most people at this point and that added program has really been beneficial in building her confidence in knowing how to be in control. I have family right outside of DC and so she frequently gets visits and her therapist down there is wonderful." William shared.

"I am so relieved for you and for your sister. It sounds like it was an awful year but you stuck together, and cared for one another. So what's happening now." Lizzy asked.

"She's been on a great path to recovery but there's been another, completely unanticipated development, that has me worried. It was that development I had been consumed with when I saw you on the T that Saturday night and when you overheard me that first morning in the legal clinic." William shared.

"Oh no. What happened?" Lizzy asked, the concern etched on her face.

"It turns out that my father, knowing of his impending death five years ago, had written a codicil to his will. This addendum had not been disclosed to me before but it contained a series of conditions, that if I did not meet them by my graduation or upon my 28th birthday, custody of my sister and control over her trust fund, would revert to my Aunt Catherine. I don't believe in speaking ill of my elders but she is the last person in the world who I'd want to have custody of my sister or her trust funds. Unfortunately, I haven't met the conditions outlined in the codicil and so I'm very concerned that I will lose custody of her." William shared.

"How has Georgie reacted?" Lizzy asked.

"She doesn't know yet. I've been trying to find a way around it, or at least identify some safeguards to put in place, but I haven't figured it all out yet." William shared.

Lizzy thought about this. All while he was assisting with her issues, he'd been trying to find a solution to keep custody of a sister who had already lost her mother and father and been manipulated by a coach and teacher at her first school. He'd said she might offer some perspective or help. She couldn't imagine how.

"William, what is the condition you haven't met?" Lizzy asked.

"I need to get married, and stay married, until Georgie is 21. She's 15 and a half now." William said with a sigh.

"Wow, why would your father put that condition on now?" Lizzy said.

"My aunt and uncle suspect that my father was concerned that I'd be overwhelmed when I took over the company and would be traveling extensively at the outset. Given Georgie would be older, and couldn't travel with me like she did with my father, he entrusted her to a relative who could devote more time to her. I guess he figured if I was married, my wife could focus on Georgie while I was traveling," he paused, then continued. "There is no one in the world more important to me than Georgie. I would never prioritize the company over her. I was so angry with my father for dictating how I would spend my time and disrupting our lives, literally, from the grave." William agitated.

Lizzy thought about this and wondered whether she could pry into his personal life more. Of course, given how much he knew about hers, she figured just about anything could be up for discussion between them.

"William, this is kind of personal but, are you dating anyone?" Lizzy asked.

"No. I'm not." He laughed a little, "And, I never thought I'd be in this situation. Anyway, you asked me to share my deep, dark secrets. You have them all now." William said with a small laugh.

"Thank you for sharing your story with me. I wish there was something I could do to help you.

"Well we could always get married and solve each other's problems," William joked.

"Yea, I'm sure your dad wasn't envisioning a 21-year old illegal immigrant as the person he wanted helping to raise his daughter when he wrote that codicil." Lizzy retorted.

"Well, I'd love for you to meet Georgie. The three of us have been impacted by decisions of our father's that we had no control over. You could be a wonderful role model for her." William shared.

"I'm not sure about that but I would love to meet her. And thank you. You've given me some good perspective and I needed it. It would be very easy for me to get wrapped up in my own concerns and forget that there are major life events happening to people all around us. You just don't always see them under the facade people show to the world." Lizzy said.

"That's so true," William said in a whisper.

They were quiet for a few moments, taking in the early evening sky. It had started to lightly snow outside and the world seemed to be sparkling a bit. Lizzy was contemplating all that she had learned and was still pondering how she might help William.

"Should I take you back to your house now? It's getting kind of late," William asked.

"Thanks that would be great. I was supposed to have written the second draft of a paper today. Maybe I can still squeeze in an hour or two on that." Lizzy asnwered.

William led Lizzy back out the door and over to his car. "Are you going to be ok?" he asked. "I mean, with everything that happened today?"

"It is what it is. I just need to move forward I guess." Lizzy responded after a moment.

"See you Tuesday?" William asked.

"I'll be there." Lizzy answered.

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Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome and VERY motivating...


	19. Launched

A/N: This chapter is helping to set up the next phase of the story. No E/D interactions here but we need this chapter to help get us there. You will also see that this chapter introduces another character - familiar to you all - who you will see in a bit... Thanks to all of my loyal commenters. I have tried to respond to them all - at least the ones I can...

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Taylor Swift's voice drifted out into the hallway. 'Yup, Jane was back,' Lizzy thought to herself as she walked towards their triple. Walking into their room she was surprised to see both of her roommates sitting on their beds, computers resting on their laps, working away. As the door opened, Jane's head popped up.

"Hey chica! How was your weekend?" Jane cheerfully greeted Lizzy while Charlotte's eyes turned towards the door.

"Lizzyyyyyyy!" Charlotte enthused. "Wow! I can't remember a time recently when all three of us were all here in the evening."

Lizzy walked in and hugged her roomies. "It's sooo good to see you guys! Jane, how'd ya manage to tear yourself away from Charlie?"

Jane turned pink and then answered, "Charlie had to help his sister move back into her apartment and I thought they should spend some brother-sister time together." Looking back at Lizzy she asked "By the way, did William Darcy find you today? I hadn't realized you were working on a project together."

Lizzy's brows rose, "How'd you know that William was looking for me?"

"He called Charlie saying that your phone was going to voicemail and that he needed to find you. What project are you two working on?" Jane enquired again.

"I hadn't realized he'd called Charlie looking for me. I'm, um, working on an article on illegal immigration and he's helping me research it. He's taking a class on immigration at HLS this semester." Lizzy explained, uneasy as to what Jane knew.

"I think Charlie's in that class with him. I'm sure if you asked, Charlie'd love to help out too." Jane said with a smile.

"Thanks Jane. I'll ask him if I need to." Lizzy replied.

"You know my dad might be able to help too. He's a magistrate judge and often hears the preliminaries in these cases. It's amazing to me how many people are here in the US illegally. My mom would always joke that she never had to worry about hiring someone who's here illegally. When we were looking for household help she'd always slip into the conversation that dad was a judge and it was amazing how quickly many candidates 'needed to be going.'" Charlotte chuckled.

"From the news coverage I've seen, this seems to be a pretty big issue in the Latino community. I'd imagine that your Spanish must be helpful in getting the immigrant perspective. Have you met or interviewed anyone who's here illegally?" Jane asked with wide eyes.

Lizzy thought she might pass out from the conversation. She wasn't sure how to answer Jane and was certainly glad she hadn't told Charlotte about her recent problems. She hadn't thought about the fact that Charlotte's dad was a magistrate and no matter how warm and jovial he was whenever they met, she'd want to steer clear of him.

"Lizzy are you ok? You look almost green. Are you going to be sick?" Jane asked with concern.

"Oh, I'm fine. So, what are you both doing for Thanksgiving?" Lizzy asked trying to ignore Jane's questions and change the current conversation towards a new direction.

"I spoke with my parents today and it looks like we'll be joining the Bingley family in Palm Beach for the week. They have a home there and they've invited us to join them. Isn't that so nice of them? I'm so excited for my parents to meet his parents." Jane enthused.

"Wow Jane. Things are moving fast!" Lizzy teased.

"Well my mom really doesn't tolerate the cold weather very well so she wanted to go someplace warm for Thanksgiving. Once I mentioned that we might be traveling south for Thanksgiving to Charlie, he extended the invitation. It was so gracious of Charlie's family to invite us." Jane said with a shy smile. "How about you Charlotte? What are you doing?" Jane asked, also eager to change the subject.

"We're having the standard Lucas family thanksgiving in Merrick. My brothers will try to beat each other up playing football with my cousins and my sister and I'll help my mom with dinner." Charlotte shared. "What about you Lizzy? Anything planned?"

"Nope, not really. Just the standard." Lizzy replied. "It sounds like of the three of us, Jane will have the most to report." she teased.

Jane rolled her eyes and tried to not look overly embarrassed. "Alright, enough! Just you two wait. When you have a guy you like, I will remember this."

Settling into her bed, Lizzy opened her laptop, attempting to focus on the paper she desperately needed to work on. Her mind kept drifting to William and his sister though. After two hours had passed, Lizzy had made marginal progress on her paper and decided to call it a night. She was drained from the drama of the day and needed to sleep.

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Monday morning found a white blanket of snow had fallen over the campus. The bright sunshine reflected the snow radiating the sun across Harvard Yard. While the campus was filled with students and staff alike, the bright glare made it difficult for anyone to see clearly, giving everyone the feeling of anonymity. It was this sensation, of being alone in the midst of a crowd of people, that had plagued Lizzy these past few weeks. This feeling fueled a sense of hopelessness and she knew after yesterday, she'd need to redouble her efforts to fight it. She wasn't alone in fact. There was a small band of people who were putting aside issues in the own lives to help her. She would not reward them by sinking in despair. And so, in this solitude Lizzy began to contemplate the prior days events and their impact on her future.

Walking towards Professor Gardiner's office, Lizzy began to create her to-do list. This list would keep her moving forward over the coming months. On her list for the day was to find somewhere to spend Thanksgiving and possibly the winter holidays. There was no way she was hanging out with the Lopez family, especially if her sister wasn't speaking to her. Technically, she could likely go to her parents' apartment and spend the holidays there alone, but that was a surefire way to thoroughly reinforce that sense of 'aloneness' that she was desperate to avoid. She had been worried about paying next semester's tuition but thankfully that worry had quickly resolved. Her financial aid package covered almost everything but a small family contribution she was expected to make. Lizzy had been pleasantly surprised to see that her papa had deposited $5000 into her checking account before leaving. That would cover her portion of tuition for the following semester and help tie her over for awhile. Lizzy had learned to get by on very little and with her savings, plus the newly deposited funds, she felt a small amount of relief on that score at any rate.

The walk went by quickly and she soon found herself in front of her first stop for the morning. University Hall was one of the first buildings constructed on campus. A statue of John Harvard sat in front, his front shoe gleaming as tourists and students alike rubbed it for good luck. Lizzy had never been a superstitious person but on this morning decided to rub his toe before running up the stairs to reach the door of the old building. Most of the building housed school administration but a few professors, who split their time between teaching and administration, had offices in the building as well. Professor Gardiner was one of them. Climbing to the second floor, Lizzy could see a light shining out of her advisor's office. Lizzy quickly knocked and waited to be invited in.

"Come in," Professor Gardiner's voice called out.

Lizzy opened the door, stepped in and quickly closed the door behind her.

"Lizzy, I am so glad you came by this morning. I just got off of the phone with Professor Gilpin. He's a little worried about you. Is everything ok?"

She wondered if Will had spoken to the Professor already about her parent's departure. "It's been an eventful set of days that's for sure. I'm not really sure how I'm faring but I am trying to focus on solutions and not overly worry about my problems, if that makes any sense." Lizzy joked.

"I think it does. Professor Gilpin mentioned a rather unproductive conversation with your parents. Is that the problem you are trying to solve right now? I know you spoke with Maddy and I thought you were feeling a little better after dinner last week, but I promised the Professor I'd check in with you." Edward Gardiner asked.

"Well, I guess Professor Gilpin isn't up-to-date. I do plan to see him tomorrow and will update him then. At any rate, last night I realized that the advice and help I require is not purely legal in nature. Hence, I showed up on your doorstep this morning. Do you have some time for me?" Lizzy asked hopefully.

"Of course I do. What can I do for you?" Professor Gardiner said, directing them to the sitting area in his office.

Lizzy filled the Professor in on her very eventful Sunday, leaving out the details Williams had shared about his own life, of course. The professor reviewed the letter from Lizzy's father and listened to Lizzy's concerns about how her sister had reacted and her potential homeless state. To say he was surprised would have been an understatement.

"Lizzy, I am surprised to see you sitting here so calmly. In all my years I have never heard such an incredible turn of events. I'm relieved that this letter didn't simply arrive in your school mailbox and that you were with someone. Maddy will not believe it all when I tell her. Speaking of which, you will be spending Thanksgiving with our family. I expect to see you arrive at our home next weekend for the entirety of the break. Maddy wouldn't forgive me if I didn't make that offer now. Ok?" The professor insisted.

"Thank you so very much. I was hoping I might be able to at least join you for Thanksgiving dinner. Like I said, things are uncertain at my home in JP given Maria's reaction and all, and I really don't want to spend the holiday by myself. I wasn't sure how to explain this all to Charlotte, who was my other option." Lizzy said with relief.

"Lizzy, you are like a daughter to me and Maddy. You are welcome anytime and we want you to feel comfortable asking us for anything. I will let Maddy know that you'll be arriving on Saturday to spend the week with us. The dorms close next weekend right?" He asked.

"They close on Sunday morning but most people are taking off on Friday afternoon or Saturday." Lizzy responded.

"Alright. We look forward to it. I want to warn you that we'll be spending the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving up in Maine at the home of a very unusual woman. My chair is endowed by the DeBourgh family and Catherine DeBourgh continues to fund a significant amount of my research. As long as you maintain your sense of humor, you might find the trip to Maine entertaining." Professor Gardiner said cryptically.

"Thank you so very much. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about all of this and I have to admit that it is a constant effort." Lizzy said with a forced smile.

"Come to dinner tonight. I know that Maddy will want to talk with you." Edward Gardiner offered.

Lizzy smiled a bit more genuinely, "Thanks. The other issues I have on my to-do list are a bit more complicated than Thanksgiving plans. I need to figure out how to deal with my financial aid for my senior year now that I'm on my own and won't be able to supply the financial information my parent's have provided in years past. I also need to figure out what to do about pursuing a student visa. I'd appreciate you and Maddy helping me think through these various issues and others I haven't yet thought of."

Mr. Gardiner sat back. Yes, his favorite student was in a fine mess and they would need to think carefully though all of this before taking any action. He could easily see how anyone would be overwhelmed, let alone a young college student, and he marveled at her strength and poise once again. "I think we should plan to all meet together, you, me, Maddy, Professor Gilpin and this law student who's been helping. Perhaps together we can craft the best way forward. I will call Gilpin after your meeting tomorrow so we can plan out the information we need to ensure our joint conversation is a productive one."

Taking a deep breath, Lizzy was reassured that she was following the right path. Her father had done what he could and she was now launched into real life. Her 21st birthday was quickly approaching and she set a goal that by her birthday she would have a plan in place.

"I will see you this evening for dinner. I will repay all of your kindness somehow, once I get through all of this." Lizzy said as she stood.

"Lizzy, friends don't keep accounts." Professor Gardiner said as he gave her shoulder a squeeze.

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Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome and VERY motivating...


	20. Team Lizzy

A/N: Happy Friday! What a busy week so I feel like I'm late. The new character mentioned in the last chapter, for those who were asking, was Catherine DeBourgh. She and her daughter will be coming soon. I'm trying to make sure we make progress and also that I don't leave loose ends. The next chapter will be big on E/D development... I'll try to write quickly so I don't leave you hanging for long.

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He had been staring down the concrete path for the better part of 15 minutes when she appeared. Her chestnut curls fell around her face and over her shoulders framing her heart shaped face. A thick, dark green scarf was wrapped around her neck, the color heightening the contrast between her hair and creamy skin. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he watched her approach.

"Good morning William. It's a bit cold to be standing out here. I hope I'm not late." Lizzy greeted him with a brilliant smile.

"No, not at all, I wanted to wait for you. I've been, well, to be honest, I've been worried for you since Sunday evening and wanted to check in before we met with Professor Gilpin." William said a bit sheepishly.

Lizzy smiled. It was nice to know that people were worried for her. She couldn't actually remember a time when someone was worried for her. Her parents worried about many things but she never had the impression she was chief among those worries. "Thank you. I've been keeping myself very busy since Sunday so I really haven't had the opportunity to dwell on anything other than immediate issues and deadlines. That might be less true next week but I'll deal with that then, I guess."

"I'm glad to hear this week has started off normally at least. Speaking of next week, I was wondering what your plans are for Thanksgiving. We didn't discuss that on Sunday." William asked.

"Yesterday I met with my advisor, the one who put me in touch with Professor Gilpin. I brought him up to date on everything and he immediately invited me to spend the holiday break with his family. I've become pretty close with his entire family while here at school and so its a comfortable place for me. I'll be staying with them starting on Saturday." Lizzy answered with a smile.

"I'm relieved to hear it. It wouldn't do for you to spend the holiday alone." William answered.

They stood there for a few moments. Lizzy was trying to figure out what Will was waiting for. "Should we go in?" Lizzy asked.

"Yes, I guess so." They turned towards the door and William stopped again. "Actually, first, I was wondering, would you have dinner with me on Friday night."

Surprised, Lizzy wasn't quite sure how to interpret this invitation. "Well, I'd love to, its just that, I can't really afford to eat out these days. My funds are very limited and I have to watch every penny." Lizzy responded embarrassed to make this admission.

"Oh, I was actually inviting you out, like on a date, and given that I'm asking, I was planning to pay." William said nervously. He'd been thinking about this since Sunday evening and was hoping she'd say yes. He hadn't actually ever worried about asking a girl out before. Well, not in a long, long time.

A date? William Darcy is asking me out on a date? "Oh. That, um, that sounds really nice." Lizzy said a bit shyly. Her head was spinning.

"Great. That's really great. We can talk more about the details later. Let's head in." William responded as he held open the door for Lizzy.

Lizzy's would definitely need to process this more later. For now, she needed to focus on the urgent matters in front of her, specifically the meeting with Professor Gilpin. Today, she didn't even check in at the front desk. William guided her directly to the small conference room in which they'd previously met. Professor Gilpin was waiting for them and seemed pleased to see them.

"Good morning Ms. Benetez. So glad you could join us again. Mr. Darcy, its nice to see you as well." As William pulled out her chair, the professor looking back to Lizzy, "I understand from Mr. Darcy that you met with your parents last Thursday. I'd love to hear your reflections on that meeting and how you think it informs your next steps."

"Good morning Professor. It seems we have quite a bit to catch up on. Did you connect with William or Professor Gardiner since Sunday?" Lizzy asked.

"I spoke briefly with Professor Gardiner Monday morning but he didn't have any particular news to share. William and I haven't spoken since Thursday, isn't that right Mr. Darcy?"

"Yes sir. Lizzy, I thought it best if you informed Professor Gilpin of Sunday's happenings." William shared.

Lizzy briefly smiled and then, taking a deep breath, told the professor of her parents' departure, sharing her father's letter with him as well. To say that Professor Gilpin was surprised would have been an understatement. After reading the letter he looked Lizzy over trying to judge how the young student was faring. This was quite an event and while it cleared the way to move forward with a visa, it did leave this young woman quite alone. "You certainly have had an eventful weekend and I suspect you have more questions than simply legal ones at this point." Professor Gilpin wisely asked.

"Yes, my father does seem to be naive. I've been trying to think through everything from where to spend Thanksgiving to how I'll pay for my senior year of college and literally everything in between. I've figured out next week and maybe next month but not much beyond." Lizzy reached into her backpack and removed a notebook. Opening it to a page filled with fervent writings in pencil and a long list of numbers, "I've started to keep a log of everything I need to think about, questions I need to answer, and have begun to create a budget for myself." Lizzy paused again pulling the notebook back, "I'm sorry. I am running on. I am sure these aren't your concerns or what you wanted to speak about. Perhaps we should focus on my options to obtain a legal visa for the rest of my studies."

"Elizabeth, you are in an extraordinary situation. I believe I can safely speak for the Professor in saying that all of these concerns are relevant and, while they may extend beyond traditional legal advice, this entire situation is caused by the legal situation in which you find yourself. We can't solve one problem without solving all of them. We're here to help." William offered with genuine kindness.

"Indeed, Ms. Benetez. The issues you identified are very important to us." Professor Gilpin said softly.

"Ok, so where to start then. I'm worried that my sister may decide to rent out our apartment and then I won't have a place to live. Last night I woke at 2am and started worrying about paying for school. What good is it to pursue a student visa if I can't pay for school right? It appears that my father deposited $5000 into my checking account on Sunday. The good news is that I can pay my portion of the tuition through graduation, but that is only assuming my financial aid package holds. I can't locate my parents to get them to complete the annual financial aid forms so how will I get my aid for next year? Plus, I have very little money otherwise if I can't work legally in the US, so how am I supposed to support myself? It's not a crisis but its not comfortable to be sure." Lizzy said with a sigh.

"Have you discussed this with anyone else?" Professor Gilpin asked.

"I brought up some of these issues to Professor Gardiner and he suggested that perhaps we have a "team meeting" with all of us, and his wife Maddy. Beyond that I am simply grateful that I am not trying to figure this out on my own." She had really been avoiding thinking about all of these issues at once. They were too overwhelming and it was easier right now to simply take one day at a time.

"I think a team meeting is an excellent idea. Professor Gilpin, how quickly do you think we could get one organized?" William asked. His anxiety for Lizzy had risen with each issue she had shared. $5000? He paid that amount in condo fees every two months! He couldn't imagine the financial stress she was under on top of other very real and pressing concerns.

"I'll call Edward Gardiner this afternoon. We both have some homework to do with the University, and on an accelerated pace. It will be challenging with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching but hopefully we can meet the Tuesday after we return from the holiday. Will that work?" Professor Gilpin shared.

Lizzy was glad to off-load her school issues to the two professors. "I have set a goal for myself to have the outline of a plan by December 16th. It has the convenient coincidence of being the day of my last class before the holidays and my 21st birthday. Does that sound ok?" Lizzy asked.

"I think that is an appropriate goal. We should have several of the major issues in the works by that time. Ms. Benetez, if no one else has told you this, you are a truly remarkable young woman. In a very short span of time you have taken on some very startling events and yet are sitting across from us with grace and calm. I'll do all I can to help." Professor Gilpin stated, looking directly into her eyes in order to convey the full strength of his approbation.

"Thank you," Lizzy whispered. "I am so grateful that I have each of you to support me. You're the reason I'm calm. I have all of you to support me. When this first started I would walk through campus or sit in Widener Library and literally feel alone in a crowd...and now I don't." She said with a smile.

"Well, I think you have given both Mr. Darcy and myself some perspective on what we might be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Try and enjoy your holiday and I look forward to meeting you after the break." Professor Gilpin said reaching his hand across the table to give her hand a squeeze of support. "Mr. Darcy, why don't you escort Ms. Benetez out. Are you available to meet on Thursday to discuss a work plan?"

"Yes sir. I'll come by your office," William confirmed. He stood and walked around the table to Lizzy's side. He reached over to a hook on the wall taking her coat down and then held it open for her. Walking out together William was silent as he contemplated all they'd discussed.

"William, are you in there?" Lizzy teased.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking about our meeting just now. Are you sure you're ok?" he asked.

"I guess so. Having the notebook helps. Anytime I have a concern or an idea, I pull it out and write it down. Once it's there I know that I won't forget it and can start developing a plan at least." Lizzy sighed.

"We're going to figure this out for you. All of it." William stated, the wheels in his mind turning.

"I guess. One way or another it'll work out." Lizzy shrugged. "So Friday night, what did you have in mind?" She needed to turn the topic towards something positive.

"Have you been to Elephant Walk? It's one of my favorites but Bingley and Georgiana both don't like it so I rarely go." Darcy asked.

"Oh I love that place. I went once when Charlotte's parents were visiting and they took us all out. I haven't been since freshman year." Lizzy said with a grin.

"Great. I'll call for reservations and then let you know what time. Does that work?" William asked.

"That sounds good. I do have one request, if I may." Lizzy added.

"Only one? I think I can handle that." William rejoined.

"We can't talk about my family or my immigration stuff. Your family, books, geopolitics, favorite movies, are all possibilities but I don't want to talk about this stuff. Ok?" Lizzy asked.

"Agreed. Although, I'd prefer not to discuss my family either. I'm spending enough time this Thanksgiving with family, I don't need to start worrying over that before its necessary." William agreed.

"I'm looking forward to it." Lizzy smiled.

It was mid-afternoon and Professor Gardiner was enjoying the feel of the sun coming through his office windows. The pile of student papers did not seem to be getting smaller, despite his labors over the past two hours. He could see improvement in some of his students work at least. His phone began to ring and he welcomed the distraction so answered the phone himself. "Hello?"

"Edward, its Solomon. How are you today?"

"Good to hear from you. I'm just trying to get through a stack of student essays. I'm guessing you've met with Ms. Benetez?" Professor Gardiner rejoined

"Indeed. Quite a turn of events this weekend for our young student." Professor Gilpin responded.

"No doubt. When she came to see me Monday morning I was stunned by her story and her father's letter to her. How was she today? I have to admit that Maddy and I are worried for her. She had dinner with us last night and was remarkably calm."

"Then she was the same. She's keeping a notebook with her various thoughts and questions as they arise. I think its a wise idea as it will hopefully keep her spinning in circles with all of the various issues she needs to juggle." Professor Gilpin noted.

"I'm glad to hear that she's keeping the notebook. Maddy discussed that with her last night as well. She's spending the week of Thanksgiving with us so I imagine we will see more of what's in that notebook over the course of the week."

"Has she mentioned to you her concerns about next year's tuition?" Gilpin asked.

"No, but Maddy and I were wondering about her financial aid situation and discussed it last night. Lizzy doesn't take help easily but if it came to it we'd pay for her senior year." Edward said.

"Alright. I'd like to help too but first, let's explore her options with the University." Gilpin suggested.

"Yes, that would certainly be Lizzy's preference. She has achieved so much because she's so stubborn and my guess is, she's been self sufficient most of her life. Let's see if we can get appointments with the financial aid office and the admissions office. They'll be able to give us the best information on their aid policies and visas." Edward suggested.

"Yes, I'm meeting with Mr. Darcy, the law student assisting me on Thursday. Perhaps we can get a meeting with each office tomorrow. Ms. Benetez also mentioned a team meeting. The meetings tomorrow and with my student should give us helpful information for the meeting.

"Sounds good. One question, can we trust your student? Lizzy's situation is quite precarious and she doesn't need any problems." Edward asked.

"William Darcy is very trustworthy. I taught his father and uncle. He is one of the best young men I know." Professor Gilpin assured Edward.

"I'm glad to hear it. I'll email you once I've set up the appointments and we can meet up. Thank you for taking this all on. I'm glad you're helping Lizzy. Who knew it would get so very complicated?" Edward sighed.

* * *

Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome and VERY motivating...


	21. Lemon and Chocolate

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your lovely comments. Your encouragement is so very motivating and your reward for your kindness is below. You inspired me to neglect my responsibilities today and write. I hope you like it.

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Packing up their laptops after a grueling three hour class, Bingley was shocked to see a small smile gracing Darcy's face. 'What's going on with him?', he wondered. He couldn't remember the last time a pleasant look had crossed Darcy's face, especially since all of the trouble with Georgiana and her school. Darcy had never shared the full story with him but he was glad to see his best friend looking a little lighter. "Darcy, care to grab some dinner tonight? It's been awhile since we've caught up." Charlie asked.

"That'd be great. I'd love to swing by my place to drop off my laptop and to check on some things first." William said.

"It's still early yet. We can go back to your place, grab a beer, check email and catch up a bit. How does that sound?" Charlie suggested.

"Perfect." William responded.

Over the years of friendship, Charlie and William had an easy camaraderie. They were equally comfortable at each other's homes and the Bingleys had somewhat adopted him as a second son. It was no surprise when Charlie walked into Darcy's kitchen, grabbed two beers and some chips and settled comfortably in the living room waiting for Darcy to return. Bingley popped open his laptop and was scrolling through his emails when William walked out into the living room typing something on his phone. Sitting down across from Charlie, William picked up the already opened beer and took a sip.

"So how's Georgie doing? Are you meeting up with her for Thanksgiving?" Charlie asked.

"Um no. She's spending Thanksgiving with the Fitzwilliam's down in DC and I need to head up to Maine to visit my Aunt Cathy." he responded distractedly. A grin broke across his face as he looked down at his phone.

"Well something is certainly amusing you and it's not generally a mention of your Aunt Cathy. What's going on?" Charlie inquired.

"Um, what? I'm sorry Charlie. I wasn't attending," still looking at his phone.

"What's so amusing on your phone Darce?" Charlie asked.

"Oh um nothing, just making some plans." He responded. "So how are things going with Jane? Are you two still dating?"

A broad smile broke across Charlie's face. "She's wonderful. Her family's coming to Palm Beach to spend Thanksgiving with us. I can't wait for my mom to meet her. She's going to love her."

"Wow. Meeting the parents. That sounds serious. I hadn't realized it had progressed so far and so quickly." 'Impulsive Bingley. He was always the same,' Darcy thought. "It's been like a month since you first met Jane right?"

"Yea I guess its only been about a month but I have to say it's never felt so right. We've been pretty much inseparable. She's been staying at my place most nights and I just couldn't imagine a full week without seeing her. " Charlie grinned.

"So where's the lovely Jane tonight?" William asked.

"Jane was feeling bad about neglecting her roommates. She's worried there's something going on with one of them, and she wanted to see if she could figure it out. Actually, Jane mentioned your helping Lizzy on some immigration project or article she's working on. How'd that happen?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, um, do you remember when we bumped into Lizzy at the legal clinic?" William asked.

"Oh that's right, I totally forgot. You needed to work on some case for Gilpin that you weren't too happy about. Is Lizzy working on an article about that woman you told me about?" Charlie remembered.

A wave of guilt ran through William as he recalled his harsh words. "Kind of. It's related at any rate, so I've been helping her with research."

"So I guess the project's not so bad. Lizzy's pretty hot if you go for brunettes. I wonder if that's what's troubling her. The immigration issues must strike close to home if your family's originally from Mexico. Does she know the woman involved?" Charlie asked.

"Um, yea, you could say so." Darcy prevaricated. He was feeling decidedly uncomfortable with the conversation and would welcome any change in the direction of the conversation. He was trying to think of something when Charlie started speaking again.

"So I saw you grinning before while you were looking at your phone. I can't remember the last time I saw a grin cross your face. What's going on with you?" Charlie asked again. "You keep dodging the question counsellor but I won't let it go."

"If you insist...I was just setting the details for a date this Friday evening." William responded, the smile breaking a little brighter on his face.

"Shut the door! William Darcy is going out on a date...and he's happy about it?" This is incredible. Who? Do I know her?" Charlie was incredulous.

"You've met her." Darcy answered cryptically.

"C'mon. Don't make me drag the details out of you. You're making this painful for both of us and you know you'll eventually tell me all, so spill." Charlie demanded.

"I don't know. I'm rather enjoying myself." Darcy smugly responded. Charlie shot him a pleading look and Darcy decided to give in. "Oh all right. I'm actually taking Jane's roommate Lizzy out to dinner on Friday night. We're going to Elephant Walk which she apparently loves."

"So I guess you do go for brunettes. Caroline's going to be devastated." Charlie responded and William rolled his eyes. "Well I'm glad you found someone willing to go to Elephant Walk with you but how, when did this come about? I guess I'm really out of the loop to not have picked up on this."

"Why be so surprised? You, yourself said she's hot. And she's bright, witty, kind and has the ability to find humor in any situation. And didn't you notice how much care she took of Jane when she was ill. We've been spending time together working on this project and I've gotten to know her better." Darcy answered with a shrug.

He'd forgotten about the time Lizzy had come to take care of Jane. And Darcy had driven her back home hadn't he. He'd been so wrapped up in Jane this past month that he hadn't really been paying any attention to his friend. He felt bad actually. It reminded him that he and Jane needed to pay attention to others around them. He was glad that Jane had suggested they spend a night apart. They needed to probably have a little more balance. "I'm glad for you Darce. It's about time that you found someone who can take care of you a bit. Lizzy seems like a good one. Very grounded, kind, and like you said, bright. You need someone who can match your intellect. Maybe the four of us can go out sometime."

"Don't rush it Charles. Friday night is our first time going out. I don't even know if she likes me."

"What's not to love Darcy? You are one of the best people I know. A little quiet and reserved maybe but a better friend I couldn't find. And from what Caroline says, you're considered pretty hot too." Charles teased.

"Alright. I think we've now thoroughly exhausted this topic. Let's head out to grab some food." Darcy said, standing up and effectively ending the conversation.

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Lizzy was reclining lazily on her bed looking down at her phone. Smiling to herself, she remembered how shy William had become when he'd asked her out. So Friday night, he'd be by at 7:30 to pick her up. She was surprised to realize how much she was looking forward to the night out with him. He was quiet, to be sure, and not a man of many words, but she trusted him. He was kind and he clearly cared deeply for his sister. He'd been through so much in his life and yet he stood tall and kept moving forward, just like she was trying to. She heard someone coming into the room and looked up, surprised to see Jane.

"Wow, twice in one week Jane. Is everything ok with Charlie?" Lizzy asked, concern etched on her face.

"I hadn't realized I was so absent. Everything is wonderful with Charlie, but I was a little worried for you and thought I'd try and spend a little time with my best friend. Care to grab dinner with me so we can catch up?" Jane asked.

"I'd love to. Let me pop on my shoes and we can head down to the dining room." Lizzy said as she scooted off her bed.

"Oh, I thought maybe we'd go out to grab something. It's been awhile since we went out just the two of us." Jane suggested.

"I'd love to Jane but I, um, I can't go out. I can't really afford to spare the expense." She said, looking down.

Jane moved to directly stand in front of her friend. "Lizzy, this is part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I know I haven't been around much but you also have really pulled back. You never join me and Charlotte out anymore, and you haven't been going home either. We're both worried about you. What's going on?"

Lizzy was very uncomfortable. She'd promised their freshman year not to keep any secrets from Charlotte and Jane and yet, she'd never had a secret this big before. No, she wasn't ready to bear all to them, Jane maybe, if she could keep a secret from Charlotte but it wouldn't be fair to ask her to do so. Instead, she prevaricated, "There have been some issues going on with my family that I really can't discuss. Let's just say that I'm not in contact with my family any longer and I'm not working at the restaurant anymore. As a result, I don't really have any income and can't afford to go out."

Lizzy found herself wrapped in Jane's arms. "I'm so sorry Lizzy. Is this about your internship? I know you were a bit worried to tell you dad about it. Is he upset that you're going to New York for the summer?" Jane asked.

"Um, the internship is what started the break between us. My father made a choice that has now made it impossible to be together. It's been a rather difficult month, to say the least." Lizzy responded, sitting back down on her bed.

"That's so terrible. What are you going to do? Where will you go for Thanksgiving?" Jane asked, sitting down next to her.

"I'm going to the Gardiner's for the week. I figure I can help them with the kids and help Maddy with the cooking to help offset the inconvenience of hosting me." Lizzy answered.

"Lizzy, you know you aren't an inconvenience to anyone. I'm sure they are thrilled to have you. I'm sorry I can't host you for the week." The pieces were coming together for Jane, "Was that why you were asking last Sunday about our plans for the holiday? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well I am genuinely interested in what's going on in your lives Jane, but yes, I was trying to figure out where to go next week. At any rate, Thanksgiving is all settled now and I'm looking forward to spending it with the Gardiners." Lizzy answered, a forced smile plastered across her face.

"I'm glad." Jane paused, "Lizzy, I respect your independence but it's ok to lean on your friends now and again. We love you and would love to help you in anyway. You're always helping others and you don't make it easy to help in return. If you need to rely on our help, we'd love to return all of the aid you've given us. I know I wouldn't have made it through that British Lit class without your tutoring me. Please, lean on me, and Charlotte."

Lizzy smiled. "Thanks. I'm afraid I might have to lean on you guys quite a bit in the coming months. I just don't want to have to start before I have to. Things are remarkably complicated right now in my life and I'm just not sure what the coming months will bring."

"Just ask Lizzy. We'd love to help you if we can, so let us." Jane gave her friend another hug and resolved that she was going to talk to Charlie about their need to have a bit more balance. Taking an appraising eye to Lizzy she could see that her best friend had been under an enormous amount of stress. Lizzy had lost some weight and had dark circles under her eyes. Jane wanted to be there to support her as her friend had always looked after her and Charlotte. She could tell Lizzy wasn't telling her the whole story but knew better than to press her.

Lizzy's phone buzzed again and she looked down at it to check the message. Brightening a bit, Lizzy said, "There is one thing you could help me out with right now. I have a date on Friday night with William Darcy. He's taking me to the Elephant Walk for dinner and I don't have a clue as to what I should wear."

"William Darcy is taking you on a date? How did that happen? When did he ask you out?" Jane asked, clearly diverted by the change in topic.

Lizzy laughed. "One question at a time. So, he asked me today. It happened the way I guess these things all happen, he simply asked me if I'd have dinner with him Friday night. Then before you arrived he texted me to let me know we have 8:00 reservations on Friday night and he'll pick me up at 7:30. Just now he told me to dress warmly as the weather report says its going to be 15 degrees Friday evening."

"Nice catch Liz! Charlie praises Darcy constantly for his intellect and loyalty to his friends and family. And Caroline showed me an article about William that says he's worth billions." Jane teased.

Lizzy was dismayed with the second statement. She was no fortune hunter and didn't want it to appear that way anyone. "It's dinner Jane. I'm not marrying the man. I don't even know if I like him that way." Lizzy protested.

"What's not to like? He's very good looking, wealthy and his friends don't have a word to say against him. How'd you two get to know each other?" Jane asked.

"As you know, he's helping out on a project I'm working on. We've been spending more time together as a result and were meeting today. When I arrived he was waiting for me and asked me out before we started our meeting. Now, I need your help figuring out what to wear on Friday night and given you are leaving for home on Friday afternoon, you'd better help me figure it out now. I don't know when I'll see you again." Lizzy teased.

"Alright. I'll help you now, on two conditions. First, you have to call me on Saturday to tell me all about your date. Second, you need to let me buy you dinner tonight because I can't bear to eat downstairs in the dining hall." Jane insisted.

"It's a deal. If it means saving you from certain food poisoning, I'm willing to come along. But nowhere too expensive. First to my closet." Lizzy directed her best friend.

Jane made quick work of selecting an outfit for Lizzy. Her talents, refined with her studies in art and art history, ensured she knew how to blend the right combination to ensure an attractive combination of colors and patterns.

"How do you do that? I'm going to need you to live with me for the rest of my life to ensure I am properly dressed." Lizzy laughed.

"Oh Lizzy, you are the easiest to dress with your chocolate brown hair and green eyes. Your features are so distinctive it's hard to go wrong. At any rate, I expect to become known for dressing the NY Times' star reporter. You can feature the work of my fashion company in your articles." Jane teased as the two girls headed out to grab a bite.

Falling asleep that night, Lizzy was glad Jane had come back to the house tonight and they'd had a chance to hang out. She hadn't realized how much she had isolated herself since this mess had started and it was so nice to simply be a 20-year old college student for a night.

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Friday evening arrived faster than Lizzy could have imagined. She'd pushed her foremost concerns from her mind and managed to mostly focus on the day-to-day concerns of school in its feverish pace before Thanksgiving vacation. It had been wonderful to throw herself into schoolwork. How simple school was in comparison to all of her other concerns, Lizzy reflected.

Lizzy had happily wished her roommates a wonderful Thanksgiving break and then returned to their room, jumping through a shower in anticipation of the evening she was going to have with William. She dressed carefully in the outfit Jane had suggested and applied makeup to her face and eyes, something she rarely did but Jane had insisted. A rich, warm rust-colored lipstick covered her lips contrasting beautifully with the coral and bronze powder highlighting her cheek bones. Her phone buzzed alerting her to William's arrival at her house.

William was waiting in Pho-Ho's entry. He grinned as he watched Lizzy descend the stairs coming towards him. "Do you mind if we walk to the restaurant? It's not so far from here and the night is clear."

"I love walking out in the evening and would welcome a walk to the restaurant. Besides, you warned me to dress warmly and I followed your advice." Lizzy grinned.

"Thank goodness you did or else my proposed walk would have been most impractical." Darcy remarked.

"You will find, William, that I'm ever practical." Lizzy teased.

The couple walked companionably, stopping to look in shop windows as they continued along Massachusetts Avenue towards the restaurant. William was pleased to note that he and Lizzy shared very similar likes and dislikes.

"So I know I said I didn't want to discuss my immigration stuff but before dinner starts perhaps you could fill me in on your meeting with Professor Gilpin yesterday." Lizzy asked.

"Of course. It seems that he and your faculty advisor had some good meetings with the financial aid office and got the name of someone in the student services office to help answer questions on student visas. It seems that a meeting with the Mexican consulate will be in order. Professor Gilpin asked me to do some inquiry with the consulate and I've managed to get an appointment for the Monday after Thanksgiving. My uncle has some influence there and his secretary was able to make the appointment." William explained. "I'm sure your advisor can fill you in on their appointments in more detail than I could but Professor Gilpin seemed quite satisfied. I wish I could meet with the consulate sooner but it's the first they had available."

"Thank you so much. I have to admit it has been nice to offload a lot of this work to others so I could focus on my classes this week. I've been so distracted this month and will probably spend a significant part of next week trying to catch up on school work." Lizzy sighed. "Ok, enough of that depressing talk. So William Darcy, why law school? Did you always know you wanted to study the law?"

William laughed. "Why law school? Because my father told me I needed to go to grad school for my MBA and Law degree. I was accepted in the joint program and enrolled. It was no more complicated than that."

"And do you always follow your father's directives so carefully?" she asked.

"Well, until he passed away, I'll admit I never questioned him. I pretty much followed the path he put me on. I never thought to question his directives until recently. He's been gone for five years now and I'm about to graduate and take control of a multi-billion dollar corporation. I recently realized, when this whole issue with Georgie's custody came up, that I need to start trusting my own instincts. Doing things my way is the only way I'm going to succeed." William said. "You know you are really easy to talk to. I've never spoken to anyone about this stuff as candidly as I do with you. Thank you."

"Anytime. I'd love to help you as you are helping me. Not simply to return the favor but, because I want to." Lizzy added. "Ok, this has become way to serious again. So let's play a little game. I'm going to give you a series of choices and you tell me which you prefer. You can only give me the answer and then over dinner we can discuss why you answered the way you did."

"Sounds interesting. I'll play along but you need to return the favor over dinner and tell me your preferences too." William suggested.

"That's fair, but I'm going first. So...Chocolate or vanilla?" _"Chocolate"_

"Washington or Lincoln?" _"Lincoln"_

"London or Paris?" _"London, definitely London"_

"Sushi or A Hamburger?" _"Both" _"Nope you have to choose one, you can't choose both. That's not the way the game works." Lizzy teased. _"Alright Miss Bossy. Hamburger but with a Guiness."_ He teased her back.

"Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall?" _"Definitely Fall, although I have a feeling that winter is going to be interesting this year"_ William added. "Boy you don't know how to follow rules. I said only one word answers and you're not playing by the rules." Lizzy said with a smile.

"Blondes, brunettes or red heads?" _"Definitely not red heads. I'm feeling a decided preference for brunettes these days." _

"Good answer Mr. Darcy."

They arrived at the restaurant and were shown to their table. Lizzy broke the first rule of dating when she ordered one of the messiest and most difficult to eat foods on the menu, the chicken lettuce wraps. These required them to eat with their hands and would certainly not fall into an etiquette guide of things to attempt on a first date. William loved how unassuming she was and her true enjoyment of the meal. As they discussed her quiz, she revealed her own preferences and they had a vigorous debate over the merits of Washington vs. Lincoln. He had a feeling that she in fact, agreed with him but was arguing with him just for the fun of it. Dinner had flown by and he wasn't ready to bring her back to her house. He wondered if she might be up for some hot chocolate at Burdick's and suggested they hop in a cab to head back to Harvard Square. She teased him about being afraid of a little walk but when they got back outside and realized how much the temperature had dropped, she readily agreed that a cab was a good idea.

Burdick's typically had a line out the door on a Friday night but given the approaching holiday it was relatively quiet. It seemed that most of Harvard's students had already left town. "I don't think I've ever seen this place so empty. I'm going to have to remember this for next year." Lizzy commented.

"Are you going to have the spicy hot chocolate Lizzy?" William asked.

"You bet. I'm impressed you remembered. I like my chocolate with a little kick now and then. I'll grab us a table while you order, ok?"

"Sounds perfect."

Walking over to the table, William was balancing the two hot chocolates with a slice of lemon cake with vanilla icing on a plate with two forks. "I thought we could share. Aside from chocolate I have a thing for anything lemon."

"Good to know. I'll have to remember that. I love to bake and lemon squares are one of the easiest things to make. If I get access to a kitchen sometime I can make them for you." Lizzy added.

"You are welcome to my kitchen anytime. Since Georgie left for boarding school, very little has been cooked or baked in my kitchen. Mrs. Reynolds, our housekeeper, has been taking care of the house in Maine since Georgie went away and only comes to stay during the holiday breaks when Georgie and I are both in Cambridge. I'll admit that I order in or eat out quite a bit. I can't make much more than scrambled eggs or pasta." William admitted.

"How depressing and I'm sure its not healthy! Why don't we work out a trade. I'll come and cook some meals for you on the weekends to keep you in food for the week in exchange for your help with all of my immigration stuff." Lizzy offered.

"You don't need to cook for me to get my help. We're friends now right? And friends help each other." William said quietly.

"Alright, then as your friend, I'm going to make sure you eat properly. When we get back from Thanksgiving, we can do some grocery shopping together so I can get a feel for the food you like and then I can make some meals for you. All you'll have to do is warm them up in the oven or microwave. It's also so much cheaper than eating out all the time." Lizzy said.

William smiled. It was so nice that she wanted to do something like this for him. It was a really good feeling that she cared.

"Well that's a lovely smile. You've been doing that a bit more recently. I don't remember you smiling very much at the beginning of our acquaintance." Lizzy remarked.

"I've had a really nice time tonight. And I haven't felt this comfortable with someone in a long time. Truthfully, Bingley and my cousin Richard are the only people I feel so relaxed around. And now I have something to look forward to for after Thanksgiving...grocery shopping." William remarked.

They finished up the last bite of cake, splitting it between the two of them, and William helped Lizzy back into her coat. They walked quietly back to Pho-Ho looking up at the few stars they could make out against the city lights. "Up in Maine, at my house there, you can see millions of stars on a clear night." William sighed.

"Do you know any of the constellations?" Lizzy asked.

"Not really. I always say that I'm going to get a book to study them but have never actually done it. Do you know them?" William asked in return.

"Nope. I'm a city girl and haven't had much exposure to nature of any sort."

They found themselves walking up to Lizzy's house and she began to wonder how the evening might end. Would he kiss her? Did she want him to? She thought she might but was not about to be the one to initiate it. "Thank you for a lovely evening. I had a really great time." she said.

He was looking down at her, her cheeks and nose rosy from the cold. He glanced down to her lips and wondered how they would taste. Her eyes met his and he reached down placing a gentle kiss on her lips. 'Lemon and chocolate, his new favorite combination,' he thought. "I had a great time as well. I hope you relax some on this vacation. Can I call you when I get back to town?"

"I hope you will. We have some grocery shopping to do." She said, her eyes twinkling.

"A trip to Whole Foods, its a date." He teased.

She knew she needed to get inside. He was going to freeze out here and still needed to walk back to his apartment. "Happy Thanksgiving." she cheered and turned to go back into her house. 'She'd have a good report for Jane tomorrow,' she thought as she climbed the stairs, still tasting the lemon and chocolate on her lips. 'Her new favorite combination,' she thought.

William watched Lizzy as she ran up the steps into her house. He didn't even feel the cold as he pondered the evening. It was easily the best first date he had ever been on. As he wandered back to his condo, he thought about how he was going to have to leave his Aunt Cathy's early on Sunday so he could get back in time to go shopping with Lizzy. The idea that they already had something planned made him almost giddy. Not the most romantic idea in the world and yet, he knew that even at a grocery story they'd have fun.

* * *

Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome and VERY motivating...


	22. The Wicked Witch of the North

A/N: Sorry this took so long...This was a difficult chapter to write as I didn't want it to feel overly contrived. I hope I was able to strike the right balance on the challenges that Darcy has been facing while Lizzy has been dealing with her immigration woes. The next chapter will likely be a E/D chapter but am interested in your take on this one.

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It had been ages since William Darcy had waited in an airport. He was amazed at how inefficient modern commercial air travel was as he waited for Richard in the baggage claim area. He was hoping that Richard hadn't checked a bag or they'd easily be another 30 minutes in the airport. The airport was jam-packed with holiday travelers all hoping to be reunited with their loved ones on Thanksgiving. So why was it that he wasn't spending Thanksgiving with the loved ones he'd prefer to be with? This trip to Aunt Cathy's was purely made out of a sense of obligation and a need to deal with this ridiculous codicil she had put his father up to. He needed to see if it was possible to talk some sense into his aunt. Not likely but it was worth a try.

It wasn't difficult to spot the 6' tall special forces army captain weaving in and out of the other passengers. The green beret was a sure giveaway. Darcy was surprised to see his cousin traveling in uniform but then realized it probably made travel a little simpler than in his civilian clothes. Serving your country didn't get you many privileges but decent treatment in US airports was one of them. Darcy stood up and walked over towards his cousin, wrapping his arms around him in a great big hug. He was glad that his cousin was on American soil these days. He always worried for Richard when he was abroad and much preferred his current assignment at the Pentagon. "It's great to see you Rich. I've missed seeing your mug. Nice outfit by the way. Trying to impress the old lady?"

"Its really good to see you too. I figured I'd show off the beret and captain stripes. So are we going straight up to see the dragon lady or do we get a reprieve at your place for a bit?" Richard asked

"Unfortunately, your excellent father shared your flight details with our dear Aunt. As a result I've already received three messages from her, the most recent being that she'll be holding dinner for us. I think we need to get on the road. I'm going to try and reason with her over the week about this whole mess with Georgie and I don't want to antagonize her before we even arrive." William responded.

"Alright then, did you bring a bottle of scotch along? We can at least do a few shots before dinner. It might make it a bit more tolerable." Richard said with a laugh.

"You are your mother's son, and knowing that, I brought two bottles along with some wine. You know how aunt likes to have the latest vintages of D'Arcy wine so I grabbed a box before I headed out the door. Fortunately, I still have the Navigator in Boston so I have tons of space for the trip up."

They walked up to the SUV and loaded Rich's bags into the back of the truck. Sliding into the front seats, Rich looked around and joked, "So this is how the other half lives. Its been awhile since my bum has been toasted by a seat warmer. How's the sound system in here?" He reached over and started fiddling with the sound system.

"Before we get down to listening to music, I'd love to hear about your most recent visit with Georgie and the rest of the family," William asked pressing the off button for the radio.

Richard sighed. He'd been hoping to put off this report. He'd become used to giving unpleasant reports to his Army commanders but didn't relish giving similar reports to his family. Georgie had begun to regress a bit and he knew his cousin would be very concerned to hear it. Moreover, it didn't help to worry him when he couldn't do anything to help the situation. Rich still wanted to try and delay the conversation if possible. "I picked up Georgie from school Friday and delivered her to my parents home in DC. It was nice to have the whole family there. My sister was already up from Vanderbilt. I can't believe she's already mid-way through her junior year. Robert was also there with his fiancé so you can imagine my mother was in heaven entertaining her future daughter. At least he'll take some of the pressure off of me and Rachel for a little while."

"What do you think of Robert's fiancé?" William asked.

"She's pretty, nice and smart enough. She'll be the perfect political wife if you ask me. Her dad was Governor of Georgia so she knows the drill. She's no dummy either, undergrad from Emory and grad school at Georgetown. My mother loves having another southern girl in the family and I think she'll keep my brother on his toes." Richard commented.

"Good. I am glad to hear that Robert chose someone who'll help him achieve his goals and not simply stroke his ego. It'll be good for Georgie to be around an accomplished woman as well." Darcy added. "Did Georgie seem to like her?"

"It was hard to tell." It was all the answer Richard could think of to say about his interactions with his mute teenage cousin.

"Well that was vague. What does that mean Richard?" Darcy insisted.

Richard sighed and rubbed his face. He knew Darcy well and he wouldn't let this go until he told him all. "Well it was hard to tell what Georgie thought, about anything really. She wasn't very interactive. I'm sure she'll warm up over the holiday though."

Gripping the steering wheel, Darcy tried to remain calm. A year ago, his sister was like any other chatty teenage girl. That girl had been gone for many months but it had seemed as though she had started to return. What had happened? "Richard, please don't dance around the issues. It's hard enough for me to be away from her over a holiday and I need some clarity. She has an appointment with her therapist on Monday. I will speak with her therapist afterwards but would like to hear what you think."

"Look Darce. She remains very, very insecure. I too thought she was getting better but when I went to pick her up I saw her with some girls and she was standing on the periphery. I asked to be introduced to her friends and she barely spoke above a whisper. Then we basically rode in silence to my parent's place in DC. She answered my questions but didn't initiate any conversation. When are you seeing her next?"

"I told her I'd fly her up to Maine for the weekend once the Thanksgiving holiday is behind us. I was thinking of the first weekend in December. I was hoping you might be able to get away as well and fly up with her. Do you think its possible?"

"I'll see what I can do. Hopefully my mother will have some luck this week with her as well. What are your plans for this weekend in Maine with Georgie?" Richard asked.

"I want to see how my meetings with Aunt Cathy go. If she won't be moved on this codicil then I have an idea as to how I might fulfill its conditions. I want you and Georgie to be on board though and need you both in Maine for that." William said cryptically.

"Darcy, the only way the to fulfill the conditions is to get married. Is that your plan?" Richard asked incredulously.

"Perhaps. Look, I'm not sure what I'll do and don't want to upset Georgie's progress, assuming she's making any, but I know that granting Aunt Cathy custody will absolutely not help her." William said in frustration.

"Nor will marrying the wrong woman Darcy!" Richard returned.

"Give me a little credit Richard. I know what I'm about." William's tone had taken a notably sharp edge.

"Don't get so defensive. I'm here to support you but I don't want you to do anything you'll regret. We'll find a way to support Georgie, whoever has custody. Ok?" Richard asked.

"I know we'll try Richard but I know in my heart that we've really only got a week to turn this around before I will likely need to take some serious action."

"Alright. We'll do what we can." Richard said with a sigh. He had always admired Darcy's loyalty but this was extreme. Needless to say the next few weeks would be eventful.

The two fell into silence and Darcy turned some music on as they headed up on the interstate. After thirty minutes passed, they returned to talking about well worn topics of family, school and service. The two and a half hours passed quickly and they soon turned down the long driveway to Catherine DeBourgh's home on the Maine coast. Unlike the other homes in the area, his Aunt Cathy's home was more reminiscent of an English Tudor mansion than of a New England coastal retreat. Their aunt had found the blueprints of her husband's ancestral home in England and had sought to recreate it stone by stone; an unfortunate choice for the setting. The home's tall, narrow windows failed to provide its' inhabitants the unobstructed views the seaside scenery demanded. Fortunately, one only needed to walk outside in order to gain access to the spectacular views.

William and Richard looked at one another, bracing themselves for the week with their aunt and her step daughter. Grabbing their suitcases, the pair headed towards the house. Before reaching the door, it swung open and Aunt Cathy's long suffering butler greeted them. "Master William, Master Richard, please leave your bags and I will bring them to your rooms. The Mistress is awaiting you in the drawing room." Grant greeted them.

Richard whispered to his cousin, "The drawing room? Where are we, 19th century England?"

Darcy attempted to stifle a laugh and recovered himself before they found their aunt sitting in the gilded living room. The high back chair in which she sat could not have been comfortable but it certainly announced to everyone the import and wealth of the chair's inhabitant. 'Subtle,' William thought.

"Finally you've arrived. I've been expecting you for hours. What could've possibly delayed you?" Aunt Cathy demanded in an exasperated voice.

"Aunt, it is wonderful seeing you in such good health as always. As you know, Richard's flight did not arrive until 2:30. Once we retrieved his things we came here directly, not stopping once along the road." William stated firmly.

"Of course you would be anxious to be here. And you made excellent time I see. You both look well, although Richard seems to have put on a few pounds. That uniform would fit much better if you were in better shape Richard." Aunt Cathy stated. It was a statement, and never a question, from Aunt Cathy. She never seemed to question anything really.

"It is wonderful to see you Aunt Cathy, as always. But where is our dear cousin Anne?" Richard asked seeking to divert her attention.

"Anne has become quite the favorite down at the club. She'll be back for dinner of course. She wouldn't want to miss time spent with her two favorite cousins. It truly is a shame that Georgiana couldn't join you on the flight up Richard. You know William, if you hadn't moved her from the boarding school in New Hampshire it would have been much easier for her to visit." Aunt Cathy demanded.

"The school she is attending now suits her better Aunt. And the proximity to Richard and the rest of the family is a decided benefit. If you'll excuse us aunt, we should probably get settled in our rooms and freshen up before dinner. My recollection is that on Sundays supper is served at 7:00. Is that still correct?" William asked.

"Yes, precisely. You should plan to join me down here in advance however so that we don't keep the food waiting. As you know, my chef has precise timing on each of the courses, thanks to my advice, and its best served when ready." Aunt Cathy added.

"Excellent. We will see you then." William and Richard turned to head up to their rooms. Checking their watches, Richard turned to William and said, "I'll meet you in your room at 6:30. Please have the scotch waiting. I'm already struggling to keep the eye rolls to a minimum and will need some fortitude for this evening."

"I'll be ready. See you in a few." William said with a chuckle.

It was 6:50 when William and Richard joined their aunt and cousin. "William, it was so kind of you to bring a case of your wines to us. I've had my chef pair a few of them with our meal this evening," Aunt Cathy offered as they walked into the room.

"I hope you enjoy the wine. We were very pleased with the results this year." William responded.

Anne had been sitting in a chair opposite their aunt but stood when William and Richard entered the room. "Its wonderful to see you cousins. Its been too long and I hope we'll get to spend some time together this week," Anne said.

"It is wonderful to see you as well. We were hoping to hear all about your studies and other activities." Richard said walking over to Anne in order to give his cousin a kiss on the cheek.

"I look forward to filling you in. Truly the club takes up all of my time. Mother and I decided last year there really was no purpose in continuing my academic studies. Seriously, what good will studying algebra and history do me? It's far better for me to refine the life skills that one of my position truly needs to be an excellent companion to a future husband. I'm grateful to Mother's excellent advice." Anne said as she looked over to her stepmother. It was actually difficult to determine whether she was being serious or simply pandering to their aunt.

William was very interested to hear the 'excellent advice' his Aunt had provided to his cousin. For good reason, he was more than a little curious as to what his Aunt felt were the essential life skills for a young woman. Over the course of dinner he attempted to probe this topic although his aunt surprisingly demurred from the conversation turning the direction of the conversation repeatedly back to Anne.

As William was turning in that night he reflected that the meal had been truly bizarre. Anne spoke extensively about her recent activities at the club which mostly seemed to comprise golf and tennis lessons, tennis matches, lunches with people whose names held no meaning to him and various mixers she had organized and attended. He couldn't help wondering how someone could fill their life with such activities. There was certainly more to life then hosting parties and socializing through tennis and golf and William Darcy resolved that Georgie would never define herself in such a way.

The next morning, Darcy headed out for a quick run along the water. The air was brisk and cold and eventually, the weather required him to head back much sooner than he had wanted. Both Anne and his Aunt Cathy were late risers. Darcy figured if he got out before they were awake he wouldn't have to confront them until early afternoon at the soonest. Grabbing his laptop he headed first into the nearby town to make some progress on the Pemberley Enterprises reports he had been recently neglecting. This would soon be his full time job and he promised himself he would be fully prepared when that time came.

Around 11am his phone rang. It was Georgie's therapist and he had been anxiously awaiting this call. "Good morning Dr. Annesley. Thank you for calling me." Darcy was quickly packing up his things and moving towards his car for some privacy.

"Good morning Mr. Darcy." the doctor responded. "It is good to speak with you as I believe we have a lot to discuss."

"Yes, I am so glad we could connect. I was particularly interested in speaking as my cousin Richard had some concerning observations regarding Georgiana's demeanor when he was with her over the weekend. Do you have any insights you can share?" William asked.

Darcy was quiet as he took in the doctor's report. She was privileged to the confidences Georgie shared but as her guardian, the doctor was able to share observations and the treatment plan with William. It sounded as though Georgie had had some setbacks recently based on some comments from the girls' at school. The comments weren't directed at Georgie but had made clear to her that most girls her age and of her socioeconomic class were quite sheltered and had remained innocent...and she was no longer the same in this regard. While she looked like them on the outside, her experiences had made her very different on the inside. This disparity only reinforced how terribly wrong her experiences with George had been, making her feel more like an outsider than her naturally shy demeanor would have made her feel. She was also suffering from some depression and the doctor recommended placing her on some medication. Each element of the report only upset William more, making him more desperate to solve the custody challenges ahead of him.

The information he had received likely did not put William in the best frame of mind for a very delicate conversation with his aunt but that didn't stop him. Hindsight is 20/20 on these things although his likely probability of success in preventing his aunt to push her rights outlined in the codicil were quite low at any time. Upon entering the house, William found his aunt and cousin still in the dining room finishing up a late lunch.

"William, how good of you to join us. Anne and I have just been discussing how lovely it is to have you and Richard here with us. Wherever have you been this morning?" Aunt Cathy inquired.

"I'm not sure what Richard has been up to but I've been to town and spent some time catching up on Pemberley work." William answered. "I have quite a bit to do and expect to be spending a fair amount of time during this holiday attending to those responsibilities."

"Of course William. You have always been so very attentive to your responsibilities." Aunt Cathy commended him. "Aren't you so relieved that I will be taking over custody of Georgiana so you have one less thing on your plate. Your father was incredibly wise when he put that codicil into place."

"I am quite surprised aunt that you are so familiar with this addendum as I am only just now becoming familiar with it. I had never heard of it until a few weeks ago." William responded.

"Oh William, your father was so worried about all of the responsibilities he knew you would need to take on. He wanted to lighten your burden. When we were speaking of ways in which he could help you, well, it seemed the best solution. Of course, l offered to take on the responsibility right away but your father was stubborn and wanted to see how things would work out first." Aunt Cathy said knowingly.

"I have to say Aunt Cathy, I don't see the necessity even now. I think things are well in hand at this time and there is no reason to upset the status quo." William's voice was measured but cool.

"Oh William, you are so kind to be worried for me but truly I live to serve my family and I take on the responsibility enthusiastically. Look at how well I have launched my dear Anne. I know my Louis would be so proud of how well I have done by his lovely child."

Settling himself in a chair across from his aunt, William leaned across the table and looked his Aunt directly in the eyes. "You are sorely mistaken if you think I will quietly go along with this plan Aunt. One way or another, responsibility over Georgiana will stay with me." William stated evenly.

Aunt Cathy looked cooly at William and then, leaning back in her chair, narrowed her eyes as she looked William over. Standing to gain some dominance in the conversation, his Aunt looked back at William, "I do not appreciation your tone William. I demand respect and your lack of it only reinforces how inappropriate your continued oversight is of my beloved niece Georgiana. Do not press me William as I will not be dissuaded from my course." Aunt Catherine departed the room her back stiff and straight. As she departed, she pushed Richard aside who had been standing in the doorway. William thought he spied a smirk appear on his cousin's face.

Richard walked over and took a seat next to William. Reaching over to place a salad on his plate Richard leaned over towards his cousin and whispered, "That went well."

* * *

So what do you think of their altercation? Aunt Cathy wants a project and some funds...She's a troublesome one.


	23. Liberal Use of Antiseptic Advised

A/N: I didn't get many reactions to the last chapter. Maybe everyone is away on vacation and can't write? Maybe? Or else you guys didn't like it. If that's the case I am not sure if this one is any better although there is a little interaction between the principal characters in this one. It can't all be fireworks...

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On Wednesday evening, Richard and William accompanied their cousin Anne to her club. As chair of the Social committee, Anne had organized some kind of dance and had determined her cousins should join her to meet all of her friends. It was a surprise to see how popular Anne was at the club.

"Any guesses as to how Anne has become such a favorite here at the club?" Richard asked William. "She certainly seems to have a significant number of male companions tonight."

"Get your mind out of the gutter Richard. There are more men than women here right now at any rate." William retorted.

"You're the one who jumped into the gutter. I was just making an observation." Richard smirked.

William made his way to the bar, ordering a scotch and water and taking in the scene. A group of college kids, likely home for the break, were crowded into a corner doing shots. Another group, likely in their mid-to-late 20's and with a strong NYC-attitude, were sitting at some of the tables having drinks and relaxing. Anne was flitting from group to group checking in as the hostess of the evening. As the organizer she felt it incumbent upon her to welcome each group personally. She'd tried to drag William along with her as she made her rounds but he couldn't be bothered. He was scrolling through his text messages and saw his last exchange with Lizzy. After hesitating a few minutes, he began to type.

WD: Hope UR having more fun in Cambridge then I'm having here with my cousins and aunt. Happy Thanksgiving.

A few moments later his phone buzzed. Looking down he spotted her reply.

EB: Exhausted from cooking and baking. Simply thankful I won't be up at 7am tmrw to put the turkey in the oven.

EB: Don't worry. I'll recover by Sunday :)

William smiled at the text and was trying to think of a response when Richard walked over and grabbed his phone from his hands. "What are you reading to put that smile on your face?" Richard looked down at the phone. "Oooh, who's EB?"

"None of your business. Now if you'd please hand me back my phone I'd greatly appreciate it." William demanded.

"Come now. I think I'd like to text with EB as well." Richard answered as he walked off and began typing.

William decided to let Richard have his fun. Lizzy wouldn't take his cousin's jokes seriously anyway.

WD: Ive found my cousin looking at his phone in a most unusual way and must know who EB is. Who is this person who causes his face to crack?

EB: Apply Vaseline. It tends to smooth cracks in the skin.

WD: Is that all Vaseline is good for?

EB: Ewwww. Give William his phone back and ask him to wipe it down with antiseptic.

Richard barked out a laugh. Whoever EB was, she had a sense of humor.

WD: I promise I'm a lot more fun then my cousin.

EB: doubtful. u just seem out to ruin his fun

WD: ur sadly mistaken. I AM his fun altho maybe he's branching out? Whats Sunday?

EB: stop fishing. g'nite

Richard was shaking his head laughing. He thought he might have some insight into his cousin's plan and had to admit, she seemed promising, at least judging by her texts. He searched through the photos on the phone but only found ones of Georgie. No selfies with a girl or of a girl for that matter. He'd have to figure that out. Handing back the phone to William he greeted his cousin with a broad grin.

"Satisfied?" William asked.

"Most definitely. She's got quite a quick wit. I look forward to meeting her." Richard answered.

William scrolled through the messages and laughed out loud. 'Yes, she's an original and could easily stand up to his annoying older cousin.' Darcy thought.

The evening dragged on and William watched as his two cousins each drank far more than their fill. Anne was indeed a favorite at the club and spent most of the evening on the dance floor. Richard found a blonde to hang out with leaving William on the sidelines observing the room. Walking up to people he had never met before to dance and make small talk was about as much fun as has having his teeth cleaned as far as he was concerned. Of course, staying back at his aunt's home was no better, so here he was, at a country club mixer of all things. A few women approached him trying to get him to dance but he begged off. Ever since the encounter with his aunt on Monday, William had managed to avoid her for most of each day, save meals. He'd need to try and have another conversation with her but knew he was unlikely to be successful.

The last three days had felt like three weeks and he was in a terrible mood. His conversations with Georgie had been stilted at best. She had agreed to start taking the medicine her psychiatrist had recommended. With each passing day with her aunt and uncle, she had become more talkative with each passing day at least. They made plans for her to fly up to Maine the weekend after Thanksgiving break and they also began to make plans for their Christmas holidays. Christmas would be at the Fitzwilliam's home in Boston this year so they'd be staying in Cambridge until New Years.

Wandering around the room he found a table of guys playing poker and decided to join in. He didn't really relish gambling but it was an acceptable way to pass the time until they could safely return to his aunt's home with her sound asleep. He began to understand why his cousin spent so much time here at the club.

It was 1am when he was finally able to drag his two drunken cousins back to his aunt's house. Fortunately, Anne appeared to have a lot of experience slipping into the house late at night and avoiding Aunt Cathy's notice. Darcy made sure that Richard actually made it into his bed, with four ibuprofen and a large glass of water consumed before he fell asleep. As he lay in his own bed, he scrolled through the text messages Richard and Lizzy had exchanged on his phone. He was looking forward to Sunday.

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Lizzy awoke to find a four year-old little girl curled up next to her. She smiled down at Avery and carefully removed herself from the bed in order to avoid waking her up. She was amazed to see it was 8:30am. Yesterday really had been an exhausting day. Making her way down the stairs she saw Maddy and Edward working together in the kitchen. They were her ideal for a married couple. They were truly a team and seemed to continually back each other up whether it was cooking, the kids, managing the house or supporting their careers.

"Morning," Lizzy called out. The husband and wife looked up to see Lizzy approaching them still in her pajamas. "Sorry I slept so late. What can I do to help?"

"Have a seat and some coffee. The turkey is stuffed and in the oven. We were just pulling together a light breakfast to keep us going until the main event. I saw that Avery made her way into your room at some point in the night," Maddy said with a smile.

"Yup, I had my own little heater to keep me warm. No wonder I slept so late." Lizzy said as she gratefully accepted the coffee.

"Avery is going to be impossible to deal with when this week ends. She is so attached to you." Edward sighed.

"Do you think they'll let me keep her in Pfhorzheimer House? She's small and doesn't take up a lot of space." Lizzy joked.

"Sure, she's cute now but just you wait until she is hungry and tired. The residents of Pho-ho would kick her out faster than she can scream ice cream." Edward returned.

"So tell me about this benefactor of yours we are to visit tomorrow. Anything I need to know?" Lizzy asked.

"Well she's kind of hard to describe. I think you need to experience her in order to understand what she's really like. I remind you to keep your sense of humor as she does have a rather inflated view of herself and her opinions. Louis, her husband was a very thoughtful man and I really did enjoy my meetings with him. She has continued to support my work in his memory, but Maddy and I often struggle to bite our tongues with some of the outrageous statements she makes. This annual visit is a requirement. I figure its only once a year and she is exceedingly generous in her support." Edward said.

They brought breakfast into the family room where the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was playing on the big screen television. Avery had made her way downstairs and was cuddled up with one of her older brothers watching the floats move across the screen. They were having dinner around 2:00 and Edward's sisters would be arriving with their families at 1:00. After finishing her coffee, Lizzy excused herself to get showered and changed. She still had some reading to do for several classes and she used the downtime to sequester herself in her room to complete some of her work.

Lizzy heard several loud voices coming from the living room and decided she should probably see what was happening. "Oh Edward, thank you so much for having us this year for Thanksgiving. You know how my nerves are and I just can not handle young boys in my home. I guess it's a blessing that I was never able to have boys. You and Maddy have the patience of saints with your dear ones." The shrill voice of a woman, who must be one of Edward's sisters, came up the stairs.

Noticing Lizzy standing near by Edward turned towards her, "Ah Lizzy, allow me to introduce you to my sister Fanny and her husband Tom. Tom and I did undergrad together and he works as a research librarian at Boston College. Lizzy is one of my all time favorite students and kindly offered to help us out with the children this week. Her family is far away and she couldn't easily get to them." Lizzy appreciated the neat explanation Edward had offered to explain her presence. She had wondered how he would explain it to his relatives and to his benefactor.

"Oh goodness. Far away from family and home. Isn't my brother wonderful for hosting you. Although I'm sure Maddy is grateful for the help with the children." Fanny said. Edward's other sister arrived with her son and husband shortly thereafter. If Lizzy had thought Edward's sister Fanny was loud, there was no comparison to Mrs. Phillips. The two women reminded her strongly of her own mother. She began to wonder where her parents were and how they were celebrating this Thanksgiving. It wasn't going to do her any good to continue thinking in this vein so Lizzy pulled her attention back towards the children in an effort to distract herself. She rounded up the girls and got them to help set the table for dinner. Once ready she sat herself between the Gardiner's two sons. There is nothing like keeping busy to keep unwelcome thoughts at bay.

They were almost through Thanksgiving dinner when Theo Gardiner, Maddy and Ed's 7-year-old son, got up and bolted from the table. Lizzy observed his hasty retreat and followed. She found him doubled over in the bathroom eliminating the contents of his stomach. Lizzy rubbed his back and helped him to wash out his mouth before walking him upstairs to his room. Feeling his head, Lizzy could tell he was burning up and pulled out his pj's. "Hey buddy, you seem pretty sick. Why didn't you say anything?" Lizzy asked.

"I really wanted some pumpkin pie. I know my older cousins will eat it all if I'm not there to take a piece," Theo said with a slight whine.

"I'll make sure to save you two slices ok? You get into bed and I'll go get your parents." Lizzy said as she tucked him. She was just coming down the stairs when she met up with Maddy. "What happened to you and Theo? Is everything ok?"

"Unfortunately, Theo is feeling pretty sick. It think he has a fever and isn't keeping his food down. I spotted him dashing out of the dining room and found him in the bathroom giving up his Thanksgiving dinner. He was kind of embarrassed so I brought him straight to his room and got him settled into bed. I was just coming to get you and put aside some pumpkin pie for when he's feeling better. I promised to save him some." Lizzy informed Maddy.

"Oh my poor baby. Thank you for looking after him Lizzy. Can you let Ed know to proceed with dessert without me? I'll be down once Theo's asleep."

Lizzy managed to get Ed's attention and he met her in the kitchen. She updated him on Theo and they began pulling dessert together. True to her word, Lizzy sliced a decent chunk of pumpkin pie placing it into a separate container. Using a technique she 'd perfected after growing up with three siblings, Lizzy grabbed some masking tape and placed a long piece around the container. With a permanent marker, Lizzy wrote in big black letters, 'Theo's - Do Not Eat!' She slipped the container into the refrigerator and carried the remaining pie into the dining room. Upon learning Theo was ill, it didn't take long for Edward's sisters and their families to clear out. Edward focused on getting the other three kids to bed while Lizzy attempted to tackle the leftovers. At least after staying in their home, she knew where everything was so she could make a decent attempt at packing up. It was well past 11 when Maddy, Ed and Lizzy each fell into their beds exhausted.

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Lizzy woke with a start the next morning. Spying the clock on her phone she saw it was close to 9:00. The house was strangely quiet. She made her way down the stairs and found Ed leaning over the breakfast bar nursing a cup of coffee. "Morning Ed, where is everyone?" Lizzy asked.

"Morning Lizzy. I'm glad to see you up and about. Maddy and the kids are all asleep thankfully. Turns out that Theo was just the beginning. Whatever he has, the other three have as well. Maddy and I were up a good portion of the night with all four of them. I'm glad you haven't caught it." Edward said.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry. Poor kiddos. I guess Maine is out then." Lizzy lamented.

"Unfortunately no. I still have to go. Maddy and I discussed it around 3 in the morning and I was hoping you'd still join me," Edward said.

"Are you sure Maddy doesn't want me to stick around and help out? Four kids with a stomach bug is not something anyone should have to deal with on their own." Lizzy sympathized.

"No doubt but we think the worst has passed. Theo hasn't been sick since 11:30 last night so it seems to be a fast moving bug. Maddy wants to sterilize the house while we're gone and the kids will likely watch endless hours of Disney and Nickelodeon as I doubt they'll have the energy for much else." Edward stated.

"Alright, let me jump through a shower then. I'll be ready to go in about 40 minutes. Is that ok?" Lizzy asked.

"Perfect. Once you're out I will jump in and we should be ready about the same time. Meet you down here at 9:45." Edward agreed.

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ok they are off to Maine... ;-) Comments, thoughts, ideas? I love to hear from you. Your thoughts and questions impact this story as I am actively writing. I have two plausible ways for the story to move and so I can be influenced...


	24. Entertaining the Queen

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the lovely comments. I'm sorry I am so insecure but I truly appreciated them. This is basically two chapters posted together hence it has taken me all week to respond. It's a long one and I hope you enjoy it! For the guest who asked for more dialogue...I hope I delivered.

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The massive home sprawled across the hill top overlooking the sea. "Professor, did I hear you correctly before? Two people live in this home?"

"Yes, Mrs. DeBourgh and her step-daughter Anne live here. Of course, I believe some staff live here as well. I'd imagine it takes a few people to maintain this place." Edward chuckled.

"And here I thought that my parents 2000 square foot condo comfortably housed the six of us. What could I have been thinking?" Lizzy said, sarcasm dripping from the words.

"Now, now Lizzy. One wouldn't want to be crowded," Edward whispered to her as they stood facing the door. They could hear the door bell clanging through the home. An elderly man opened the door a minute later, apologizing as he did so for keeping them waiting.

"Professor Edward Gardiner to see Mrs. Catherine DeBourgh."

"Oh we've been expecting you although I thought you were arriving with a larger party," the elderly gentleman said. They were shown in and the butler (Lizzy had now determined) took their coats and began leading them down a long hallway.

"Unfortunately my children became ill yesterday and my wife decided to stay at home with them. Ms. Benetez is staying as a guest in my home for the holiday and agreed to accompany me for the visit." Edward offered by way of explanation. "I had left a message this morning when the adjustment to our numbers changed. I apologize you didn't get the message."

"Please do not trouble yourself on my account. Mrs. DeBourgh will be happy to see that you have arrived nonetheless," the butler responded.

They entered a formally attired room, dark wood paneling covered the walls. Heavy burgundy drapes hung alongside the windows and fireplaces burned on either side of the room providing much of the light. The contrast in lighting, from the bright winter day to the dimly lit room, left Lizzy literally in the dark for the first couple of moments. Blinking, she heard rather than saw that she was being introduced to someone.

"Edward, I'm so glad you are finally here. We have so very much to discuss. I have been thinking at length about your research and I am quite sure you will wish to hear my thoughts." Mrs. DeBourgh began.

"I'm glad you are so engaged in the work and look forward to the discussion. Perhaps after lunch we can spend some time together so I can hear your thoughts." Professor Gardiner offered.

"Yes, that is perfect. Now who have you brought with you?" Mrs. DeBourgh asked as she turned her gaze to scrutinize Lizzy. Looking her up and down she eyed her curiously. Lizzy felt as if she were being evaluated like a prize horse in an auction. That ridiculous thought almost caused her to laugh out loud and she bit her lip hard in order to quell the impulse.

"Lizzy is one of my favorite students. I work with her as her faculty advisor and will serve as her thesis advisor next year. Lizzy is an incredibly talented and incisive writer. Her family was away and so she's been staying with me and Maddy for the holiday. I think we got the better end of the deal however. She's been helping us out with the children and they absolutely adore her." Edward said as he looked at Lizzy smiling.

Lizzy blushed under the scrutiny of her professor and Mrs. DeBourgh. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. DeBourgh. Thank you for allowing me to join Professor Gardiner on his annual visit." Lizzy said respectfully.

"I look forward to learning more about you. My nephews and stepdaughter should be along shortly to join us for lunch. I believe you are just a little bit younger than my Anne, a more delightful and accomplished young woman you will likely never meet." Mrs. DeBourgh stated.

Lizzy's curiosity was peaked to be sure. "I look forward to meeting her."

They heard some voices coming down the hallway and all turned to see three people enter the room. "Here they are. Anne, Richard and William allow me to introduce to you to Professor Gardiner and one of his students." Catherine DeBourgh began.

"Lizzy? What are you doing here?" William was startled to see the woman he had been thinking of just ten minutes ago appear in his aunt's living room. So much so that he actually interrupted his aunt, something he had learned years ago to never attempt.

"William? um, hello." She wasn't sure what he meant by his question and it left her a bit unsettled and insecure for some reason.

"I see you know one another already. I'll be interested in hearing more about this later." Mrs. DeBourgh scowled. She did not appreciate being at a disadvantage in a room.

William couldn't take his eyes off of Lizzy. How? Why was she here? He was struggling to compose himself in this unexpected situation. She looked absolutely beautiful in a forest green v-neck sweater, knee-length grey skirt and black boots. Her hair was down held back from her face by a matching forest green headband pulling her dark curls away to reveal pink cheeks dotted with freckles. How had he not noticed those adorable freckles before? Her green eyes were downcast. What was wrong? Was she upset at seeing him? He needed to speak with her.

They were quickly directed into the dining room for lunch. Richard immediately fell into step with Lizzy, eager to spend lunch getting to know this slip of a girl who had left his cousin tongue-tied. In a grand gesture, Richard stepped in front of his cousin and extended his arm before William could get over to her, leaving William to escort Anne into the dining room, "So Lizzy is it? Would that be short for Elizabeth?" he asked.

"Yes, Lizzy is a common diminutive for Elizabeth. I believe your aunt said you are Richard. Should I call you that, or perhaps Dick? I believe Dick is a common diminutive for Richard, am I right?" Lizzy asked, a small smile crossing her lips. She had a strong suspicion this was the cousin who took William's phone the other night and had been texting her.

Richard had to bite back a loud laugh turning it into a cough. 'Yes, this must be EB,' he thought. "I prefer to go by Richard or Rich although I am sure I have been called many other names over the years." He responded.

"Richard if you are coming down with a cold, I ask that you return upstairs. None of us would like you coughing germs all over us," Aunt Cathy stated loudly directing a stern look at Richard.

"My apologies aunt. I'd had some gum earlier and swallowed it accidentally. I assure you I am feeling perfectly well." Richard answered.

"Gum! What a disgusting habit. I don't know why these young people insist on chewing it. It makes them look just like cows chewing their cud. Richard I don't want to see or hear of you chewing gum around me again. It may be fine for your recruits but not for people of our breeding." Aunt Cathy ordered.

"She really should have been in the armed forces. She could put my superiors to shame," Richard whispered.

Mrs. DeBourgh was annoyed that her nephew seemed to know this Lizzy person and decided to ignore her for now. Professor Gardiner was seated next to her which perfectly suited her aims.

William was directed to sit next to his aunt and thus was several seats away from Lizzy. Frustrated, he was forced to watch as his cousin Richard chatted up his Lizzy. His aunt began to engage him in a conversation with the professor. At least William was involved in a stimulating discussion on the intersection of journalism and politics. He had been stuck in worse conversations at his aunt's table.

"So, how long have you known my cousin?" Richard asked.

"We met towards the end of October I believe, so a little over a month now." Lizzy responded.

"How'd you two meet?" Richard quieried again.

"Oh, the usual way." Lizzy answered evasively.

"I didn't have the benefit of a Harvard education. What is the usual way at Harvard, if I may ask?" Richard tried again.

"Oh I don't believe we have any special way of doing it at Harvard but as its the only college I've attended, perhaps I don't know the way its done elsewhere. How was it done at your college?" Lizzy evaded again.

"You have some very impressive evasive maneuvers miss. Why are you avoiding my questions?"

"Why should I answer them? You've known me less than five minutes and all you have asked me about is your cousin. I would presume you know him well enough to ask him these questions but you know nothing of me." Lizzy said sweetly.

"Touché. I have a feeling by the end of the night I will know every element of your life. You see, my aunt has not yet turned her attention to you but I assure you, she will. Once she does, you will likely end up telling her all, including the color of your underwear if she demands it. So I need not pound you with 20 questions as I will soon hear all about you. My cousin on the other hand is quite tight lipped, and I care deeply for him. If I want to learn anything regarding that quarter, I am best served to ask others." Richard responded.

"Well I'm intrigued to learn more of your aunt's tactics firsthand then. You'll get nothing from me about William aside from confirming that I do in fact know him. Your supposition about the Harvard connection was correct but I don't like to tell stories of others." Lizzy said with a smile and turned her attention to the salad placed in front of her.

Richard looked at Lizzy a bit dumbfounded. She was tough! He was going to need a more subtle plan of attack. They sat quietly for a few minutes when Lizzy started to feel a bit bad. She wasn't sure why she was giving her dining companion such a hard time. Perhaps she should try to extend an olive branch.

"So Richard, are you from Maine also?" She asked.

"No I only spend time here when my aunt or cousins bring me up this way. I prefer the warmer climate of Washington DC." Richard answered.

"Oh, so you're one of the cousins who live near the school Georgie attends?" Lizzy asked.

"Um, yea? So he's told you about Georgie and the rest of us?" Richard enquired. He was surprised that Darcy would talk about his family, let alone to some girl he had known for a month. He was a very private person.

"I may have heard some mention of you." Lizzy answered coyly, kicking herself for revealing anything about her knowledge of William's life. If William hadn't mentioned anything about their friendship to his cousin she certainly wasn't going to. "So how do you spend your time in our nation's capitol?

"I'm a Captain in the Army - Special Forces. I'm currently on assignment at the Pentagon. I guess I earned some time at home and I know my parents are happy to have me around." Richard responded.

"Wow, I'm impressed. I have a few friends in ROTC. Their discipline and dedication makes me wonder at how lazy the rest of us must seem by comparison." Lizzy answered.

"If you're friends with Darcy then I highly doubt you're the kind to layabout. To be honest, I love the structure and daily mental and physical challenges of being in the Army. The past few days have been driving me crazy with boredom. I don't know how my cousin Anne lives this way," Richard said quietly.

Salad was smoothly replaced with a hearty vegetable soup. The food was outstanding and Lizzy was wondering if she could get the recipe. She somehow doubted that their hostess would be the right person to ask. Trying to imagine her hostess in the kitchen chopping vegetables was an amusing thought and she had to restrain a giggle from passing her lips.

"You seem amused Lizzy. Please share the joke. As I said, I've been bored out of my mind would welcome any diversion." Richard implored.

"I'm not so sure you would find it amusing. I was enjoying the soup and trying to figure out how I might get the recipe. An image of your aunt in an apron, flour in her hair, chopping vegetables came to mind. I may have only just met your aunt but I can't imagine she was up this morning slaving over the soup and bread to be served this afternoon."

"I'd call you an astute observer but one doesn't need to spend more than a moment with my aunt to know that she wouldn't sully her hands with such menial work." Richard said with a smirk.

Anne had been watching the two of them from time to time but knew that her step-mother expected her to be paying attention to whatever this professor was droning on about. She had absolutely no idea what they were discussing and ultimately gave up on attempting to follow the conversation. "So Richard, introduce me to your dining companion."

"Anne, this is Elizabeth, or Lizzy as she is called. She apparently knows William from Harvard although she has yet to reveal to me how she knows him. She has heard of all of us from William although I am not sure what he has told her. I believe that she and Darcy were texting the other night while we were at your club. That is all I've been able to figure out thus far. Perhaps she'll tell you more." Richard teased.

"Well its a good thing you're not in the intelligence services Richard or else our country would be in trouble. Your interrogation of the witness has not been very productive," Anne returned with a smirk.

"Well I figured I'd leave the heavy lifting to your mother as I know she enjoys the sport of it all." Richard returned.

"No doubt. I guess we'll have to wait for the entertainment to begin."

"With your build up of our hostess' interrogation skills I'm almost anticipating it. I hope I don't disappoint." Lizzy laughed.

"Somehow I don't think you could." Richard answered her.

Lizzy turned to Anne and began to ask about the history of the home. It was certainly of a very different style than the others in the area. This was a topic on which Anne could speak at length and lunch passed rather quickly if the conversation was a bit dull. Getting up from the table, Lizzy was surprised to find William standing directly behind her chair.

"It is a wonderful surprise to see you here," William breathed into her ear.

Lizzy blushed and looked up to William with a smile gracing her face. "It was indeed, although I wasn't sure if you thought it was truly wonderful or not."

"I'm sorry I couldn't sit with you at lunch. My aunt, as you will see, can be rather demanding. I hope we have an opportunity to speak later," William said as he squeezed her hand.

"Children, Professor Gardiner and I will be speaking about his research. I am sure you can learn much from our conversation and I insist you join us while we meet."

Professor Gardiner caught Lizzy's attention and rolled his eyes. Yes, she had been warned but actually, Lizzy was interested in hearing about his research. He was her favorite professor for good reason and could think of worse ways to spend an afternoon than listening to him speak.

After two hours of attentively listening to William's aunt give her decided opinions about every element of Professor Gardiner's work Lizzy thought she was going to lose her mind. Anne had actually fallen asleep. She was softly snoring on the couch leaning on her cousin Richard's shoulder. Lizzy could tell that William had a headache as he was repeatedly rubbing his forehead and temples. Mrs. DeBourgh did not seem fatigued in the least however and was ready to keep going. At some point however, Professor Gardiner said he needed to refresh himself and put a call into home in order to check on Maddy and the children. They breathed a collective sigh of relief when he stood up to leave the room. Finally, they could get a break. William began to get up and move towards Lizzy when his aunt called out again.

"So I must hear how you two know one another." Aunt Cathy asked William, a firm hand placed on his arm.

"Lizzy's a writer for the Crimson and was working on an immigration story. I'm taking a class on immigration law and my professor asked me to help her with research for the piece." William answered cooly.

"Immigration is such a troubling issue. Who do these people think they are? I just don't know why people can't come into this country properly like our family did. We didn't sneak into this country." Mrs. DeBourgh demanded.

"When did your family immigrate to the US?" Lizzy asked.

"Well the Fitzwilliams have been in this country since the beginning of the 1800's and the DeBourgh's came here from England in the mid-1700's. We have been long established in this country."

"You know, I have learned so much doing this research. Did you know that many of the people who came here in the 1700's from England were actually sent here as a punishment for their crimes? England often gave criminals a choice between death or transportation to America or Australia. After America rebelled England could no longer send their criminals but many still came. One only needed to reside in the country for a few years in order to become a citizen. Since that time the rules have evolved. Now the limits are quite rigid." Lizzy informed them all.

A feeling of warmth overcame William as he watched her put his aunt in her place. Lizzy wasn't sure what to make of his look and worried that he might be angry with her for insinuating that his family might be descended from criminals. Before she could ponder the situation for too long though, she heard herself being addressed again.

"I see," turning her attention towards her, Mrs. DeBourgh asked, "I presume your parents gave you a proper name? A young woman can not be taken seriously being called Lizzy. Your parents named you Elizabeth, correct?" without waiting for a response she continued, "Benetez. What kind of name is that?"

"Spanish, or Mexican to be more precise." Lizzy responded looking her directly in the eyes.

"Where did you grow up?" she queried again.

"Boston ma'am." Lizzy answered again.

"Ah Boston, what a wonderful place, a more humane city one could never find. It's where I spent my own youth. The Fitzwilliam family has resided in Boston since the early 1800's. Which part, where did you attend school?" Mrs. DeBourgh was clearly warming to the subject.

"I was raised in Jamaica Plain and attended Boston Latin School." Lizzy smoothly responded.

You would have thought the woman had just eaten a lemon with the way her face contorted. "You say you lived in Jamaica Plain? And what do your parents do?"

"My parents own a restaurant in JP where I was raised." Lizzy was feeling a bit annoyed by this arrogant woman. The look on her face told her all she needed to know about how this conversation would go.

"And schooling? Where were they educated? Did your father attend any of the culinary schools of note?"

"My father is self taught as was my mother. They did not attend university." Lizzy was not going to demean her parents for a lack of opportunity. They had done well for themselves without access to schools like BLS or Harvard.

"Well I guess even Harvard has to have its charity cases. I hope you appreciate the wonderful opportunity that Harvard has given you by allowing you to attend along with people like my nephew." Mrs. DeBourgh condescended.

"I hope to have enriched my fellow students experiences as they have enriched mine. I have never met a fellow student who has not been grateful for the opportunities Harvard has provided them. Did you attend Mrs. DeBourgh?"

"The Fitzwilliam men attended Harvard, except for Richard who chose West Point. It is not a tradition among the women to attend Radcliffe or Harvard. I enjoyed my years at school although colleges have certainly changed. We looked at several for my dear Anne but none of them suited."

"Where did Anne study?" Lizzy asked.

"I brought instruction here to her. The requirements of schools today are nonsensical and I thought it much better to oversee her instruction myself. The skills that someone like my Anne requires, to be the proper support for her future husband's career, are much better taught by me than any university. For someone like yourself, who will require a job to support herself, and is unlikely to attract a man of wealth, I imagine that university would be more of a requirement." This outrageous speech left Richard and William speechless. William wanted to strangle his aunt and was trying to find the words to stop his aunt from speaking anymore when Lizzy responded.

"I would be most interested to hear of Anne's studies. You mentioned that she is quite accomplished. You must have quite a studied and informed opinion as to what comprises an accomplished woman?" Lizzy asked in a voice conveying pure innocence and interest.

"Of course dear, you would have no one available to you to provide such instruction. Well given my generous nature I should be happy to inform you. You see, Anne has mastered the skills of being the perfect partner in life to a busy and accomplished man. She is a favorite down at the country club and was elected chair of the social committee at only 23. She has been thoroughly instructed on the arts of correspondence and entertaining people of all social rank. Should the queen of England or the Prime Minister of Canada call, she would understand all of the necessary requirements of entertaining them. She can also accompany any partner in a doubles match or on the golf course but she also understands the importance of not dominating and deferring to her partner as appropriate. Her time has been applied specifically to ensure she will be able to suitably accompany and partner an important and busy man. I am sure it won't be long before a suitable man understands her talents and unique attributes and won't let her go." Catherine DeBourgh intoned.

"And does the Queen often visit?" Lizzy asked without a hint of sarcasm.

"Excuse me?"

"The Queen, you said Anne was knowledgable enough to entertain her Majesty. Does she often visit you?" Lizzy pursued the question without giving away a hint of amusement.

Richard was biting his lip hard and avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room so as to not burst out with laughter. He spied William's leg bouncing up and down but did not look up.

Flustered, Mrs DeBourgh looked Lizzy over trying to ascertain whether she was attempting to make a joke of her but Lizzy's face was the picture of genuine interest. As such, she answered her although resolving to end this frustrating conversation at once. "Elizabeth, I was merely giving an example of the wide variety of audiences and company with which Anne could easily manage based upon her studies. You must forgive me for I am fatigued and need to rest before dinner. I will see you all down here at 6:50. Do not be late.

Thankfully the interview finally ended, whether it passed quickly enough was up to individual interpretation. To be certain, for several of the guests, the afternoon had seemed interminable. William had spent much of time, trying to figure out if he could find a few minutes alone with Lizzy to apologize for his Aunt's behavior. He was mortified. She must hate his relations and this seriously troubled him. William had realized that her good opinion of him really mattered.

"Richard, William, see Anne to her room. She must be feeling under the weather to fall asleep like this." Aunt Cathy demanded.

William shot a look to Richard silently asking him to take responsibility for Anne to which he nodded his agreement.

William pulled Lizzy aside as they walked toward the formal living room following dinner. "Um, Lizzy, do you mind helping me bring up some wine for dinner?"

"Oh sure." Lizzy agreed, glad to be doing anything to get her out of the stifling formal living room. She followed him through the bustling kitchen and down a narrow set of stairs leading to a basement - or what functioned as a basement in a 10,000 square foot mansion. This basement was complete with hardwood in-laid floors, wainscoting and what appeared to be a state-of-the art sound system wired throughout the expanse. They walked about 25 feet and she watched as William opened up a heavy wooden door and flipped a switch casting light over the room. As they walked in Lizzy noticed that the room was a bit cooler than the rest of the house, a relief after the temperature-raising conversation upstairs. She found herself looking over 4 walls covered for the most part with floor-to-ceiling temperature controlled wine refrigerators. There must have been at least 2500 bottles of wine inside the room. A broad wooden table with stools surrounding it took up the center of the room. On one far wall Lizzy observed a single cabinet built into the wall filled with different sized wine glasses. Spinning around the room she realized she had left the door open behind her and reached to close it so as to keep the room at the appropriate temperature. As the door closed, William turned with a bottle of wine in each hand.

"Uh, Lizzy, did you just close the door?" William asked.

"Oh, yes. I didn't want to let cooler air out. I figured that since this room was temperature regulated it was important to keep the door closed." She answered smiling. "Can I help you grab some wine?"

"Oh, thanks. Let me just check something." William said. Setting the wine down on the table, he walked towards the door. "I hope Aunt Cathy had the door fixed since I was last here." he muttered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you just said. Did you need me to check something?" Lizzy asked.

"Um, no. Well, you see, sometimes this door gets stuck. We usually leave it open while we're here in the wine cellar because people have gotten stuck inside before." William tried to say lightheartedly. He knew that getting the door fixed was on his aunt's to-do list. It was just that, as good as his Aunt was at telling other people what to do, she didn't always do the things she needed to complete. Darcy turned the handle and pulled but the door didn't budge. "Damn" William muttered. He looked around to see if there was anything he could use to get some leverage on the door but quickly noted that the door was tightly sealed, likely to maintain the temperature control in the room. That didn't stop him from trying again to pull the door open. Again, it didn't move.

"Lizzy? I'm sorry. This is entirely my fault. I should've said something before we entered but, well, the door appears to be stuck. I'm guessing my aunt forgot to get it fixed since this last occurred."

"The door is stuck? As in, we can't get out of here?" Lizzy asked incredulously. Not only had she spent the entire afternoon with the one person who knew every single embarrassing thing about her, but then she'd been held up in front of him to relentless scrutiny by his aunt, and now got them trapped in a wine cellar. Could things get any worse, she wondered.

"Well, eventually, my cousin or someone will notice we're missing and will come looking for us, I'm sure." William said, trying to sound reassuring. If he hadn't been so focused on grabbing a few moments with Lizzy to apologize he might have thought to tell someone where they were going. That the need for wine was a complete ruse he had made up, didn't help matters.

"Oh, of course. Well at least there is a place to sit and plenty of wine to keep us hydrated." Lizzy laughed.

"Only you could find humor in this situation Lizzy. I've always appreciated that about you." William commented.

"Well, at least I have one redeeming quality." She quipped.

Looking into her eyes, William answered sincerely, "I would say you have more than one."

"I can drink to that." Lizzy answered, nodding to the bottles of wine still in William's hands in order to avoid her discomfort. "What do you have there?"

Recovering his wits, William responded. "Well, let's see. In my right hand I have a 2011 Turley Zinfandel. I also grabbed a Croft Vintage Port from the same year. They're both very nice wines but I think we should start with the Zinfandel because the port is really for dessert." He proceeded to the cabinet that housed the glassware and pulled out two tall wine glasses. He quickly opened the bottle and poured out two glasses. "There is a common perception that one needs to decant red wines and let them breathe for at least 30 minutes. However, I read an article in the NY Times that tested the aeration of a wine after decanting and letting the wines sit for 30 minutes versus simply pouring the wine and swirling it in your glass for a few seconds. The study, conducted by two pulmonologists, found that there was no difference in the oxygen levels between the two wines. Ever since, I have simply poured, swirled and drank." William stated.

"Oh you rebel. What will everyone at the country club think?" Lizzy teased.

William actually had the courtesy to look embarrassed but Lizzy felt bad. Who was she to tease him about wine? The man actually owned a vineyard!

They both sat in silence for a few moments, sipping the wine. "So what do you think of the wine?" William asked.

"Oh, its good. Quite good, although given I know absolutely nothing about wine and haven't tasted much, I guess you'd be the better judge." Lizzy answered a bit sheepishly. "How long until they figure out we're down here?"

"I'm not sure. I should've told Richard where we were going but I wasn't actually focused on that. I'm truly sorry." William answered.

"This isn't your fault. I'm the one who was oh-so-helpful by closing the door and getting us stuck." Lizzy admitted. She took another sip of wine, "This is really good wine."

"Yes, I agree. And I do owe you an apology. I am so embarrassed by the inquisition you were subjected to by my aunt upstairs. You're an amazing person Lizzy and I hope you know that not all of the Fitzwilliam's and Darcy's are so narrow-minded and snobbish. You are so much more than your parents and their education." William added. This didn't actually help.

"William, you have this amazing ability to say something lovely and then add a comment that is filled with the same judgement and disdain as everyone else. With that one final sentence you proved what I have spent my entire life fighting against. I am not accomplished in spite of my parents. I am not ashamed of where I come from and yet that comment is condescending to my family."

"I don't look down on your family Lizzy." William quickly stated.

"Well, you could've fooled me. It certainly seemed pretty evident by the look of disdain you had on your face the entire time you were at my home. I don't care if your family and everyone you know thinks we don't belong here. I will find a solution." Lizzy practically yelled.

"Hey, again, I'm sorry. I clearly put my foot in my mouth again. I wasn't putting you or your family down." William tried to explain but Lizzy's back was firmly turned towards him. He started to move closer and saw her shoulders moving. She was crying. He had made her cry. Walking over William kneeled down on the floor in front of her. "I'm so sorry," he earnestly whispered. He wanted to hold her, protect her, but it was clear she was upset and he wasn't sure she would want him to comfort her. He couldn't walk away though, so he pulled up the stool next to hers and sat down.

"You may have noticed, I'm not very good with words. Kinda funny for a person about to graduate with a law degree huh?" William added and looked over at her.

Lizzy shook her head and added, "You do seem to struggle with words."

"Let me try again. What I was trying to say was that most of my life, I've been surrounded by kids who have two parents, both with Ivy League educations. The kids have more money than they know what to do with. Private schools, tutors, trust funds are all at their disposal. Basically everyone I have ever known has had everything handed to them. They're not bad people. And I don't think I'm a bad person but you, you're different. You have worked for every single thing you have ever achieved. You're not at Harvard because you went to the right schools and your parents went to the right schools. You're at Harvard completely on your own merit. Even more, you got to Harvard while being an amazing daughter, sister and while helping your family run their business. You're an incredibly compassionate person. Look what you did for your friend Jane when she was ill. And you can turn any situation into a laugh. I have never met anyone as impressive as you. I look at my own sister and wish she could be as strong as you are." William added.

Lizzy blinked. She really looked at this kind man, who praised her and was doing everything he could to help her. She had misunderstood him before and felt as though she had to keep reminding herself to remove the blinders where he was concerned. Since she had first spoken to her father, she had been building a protective shell around her. His kindness, his words, kept adding cracks to that shell a bit.

She started to speak but before the words left her mouth she felt his lips pressed against hers. It was tentative but felt so nice. His warm breath brushed her lips moments before they connected and she reached over to rest her hands on his shoulders.

At first, William felt her hands and thought she was pushing him away. But he soon realized she was subtlety pulling him closer and that was just enough encouragement to deepen the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him, off of the stool until she was pulled into his lap. Their tongues laced around one another and he couldn't help thinking about how sweet she tasted, her lips laced with the red wine they had been drinking.

Lizzy lost herself to his kisses and caresses, William's only thought was that he wanted more but he forced himself to stop. They pulled apart from one another staring.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken advantage." William said looking down at the floor.

"I didn't see or feel anything for which you should be apologizing," Lizzy answered quietly. Feeling a desperate need to change the subject, Lizzy suggested, "Now, we are stuck in here and I know absolutely nothing about wine. Given you actually own a vineyard, how about giving me an education I am actually interested in."

"My aunt really can be a nightmare, can't she? I'm happy to further your education madam on something you might actually find useful. Let me arrange things properly." William said as he stood up, walking over to cabinet to pull out a range of glasses along with a bucket. He also managed to find some bottled water and water glasses. He walked through the room selecting wines to sample and lined them up along the table. Lizzy was fascinated watching him. He was so calm and in control. Moving closer to where William was working she noticed he was humming softly. She was struck to discover he was humming Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, one of her favorite pieces to play on the piano. She joined him humming and they completed the piece together.

They drank more wine then they really 'tasted' and Lizzy felt a strong need to sit down. "Wow, I'm feeling a bit dizzy."

William sat down next to her bringing her a glass of water. "I think we might have gotten a little carried away. Are you ok?"

Lizzy leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder and William couldn't resist the urge to reach down and stroke her lovely neck. Lizzy turned her head and soon her lips reached up towards his. Several minutes must have passed when the door burst suddenly open. The couple was oblivious until they heard the voice of Richard Fitzwilliam. "Here I was worried sick about you two thinking you had been kidnapped and instead, you've been making out in the wine cellar. All the while I've been stuck with those sniping bitches upstairs!" Richard bellowed.

Lizzy attempted to jump up but merely succeeded in knocking heads with William and falling to the floor. She started to laugh and William and Richard joined her.

He stood up and extended a hand to Lizzy to help her up the floor. "Richard, it's not what you think." William stuttered.

"Look, I realize you're the one about to earn the Harvard trifecta, but it doesn't take three Harvard degrees to figure out that you two were having a lot more fun down here then I have any hope for this weekend." Richard retorted.

"I think Richard, that William was speaking of the fact that we got stuck in here because of that stupid door. We had simply come down to get some wine and I closed the door not realizing that it would lock us in." Lizzy attempted to clarify.

"Yes, we hadn't snuck off, as you implied." William concurred.

"Well, glad to see you made good use of your time. You should probably get upstairs though. Everyone's been waiting for the past 25 minutes for you to go into dinner, hence my search. You're just fortunate I'm the one who found you. Could you imagine the reaction from Aunt Cathy? She's already outraged that you have kept dinner waiting." Richard shuddered.

"I don't want to imagine but thank you very much for so effectively ruining my mood." William muttered. Lizzy quickly looked up at Darcy with a smirk on her lips.

They started to leave when she spun around and stumbled. "We should probably grab that wine. That's what we came here for in the first place."

"I'm not so sure you need anymore wine." Richard observed. "How much wine did you two consume while locked in here?"

"By the looks of it, quite a bit. Probably a bit much for little Lizzy here." William smiled.

"The world is spinning a bit. Do you think you could help me up the stairs." Lizzy slurred a bit.

"I think I'll be bringing you up to your room while William delivers the wine. It will be far better if we arrive separately. I'll let everyone know you weren't feeling well and went to bed." Richard offered.

William understood the prudence of this offer but before setting off towards the living room, asked Lizzy if she might meet him in the morning for a walk down by the water. "We can meet at the bottom of the beach steps at say 8:30?" William offered.

"Sounds good. Good night." Lizzy said and followed Richard up to the third floor where the guest rooms were located.

* * *

Comments, thoughts, ideas? I love to hear from you. Your thoughts and questions impact this story as I am actively writing. Lizzy and Darcy will meet up in the morning. Thoughts as to what they might discuss?


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